Cafe Femenino Project

The Café Femenino Project is a social program for women coffee producers in rural communities around the world. Originating in Peru, the project enables women coffee producers to achieve empowerment, build social and support networks, and earn a fair income through harvesting and producing their own special, high quality organic coffee.

The Story of the Café Femenino project began with 464 women coffee farmers from 50 communities. The creation of the project has been started by the Alliance of a US importer, OPTCO, and a cooperative in Peru called CECANOR, in Chiclayo in 2004. The women made the decision to separate their own coffee from the rest of the production.

An extra premium is paid to the women, over the fairtrade price, with the additional funds paid directly to them to do with whatever they like. The program is giving these women their own money for the first time in their lives. The Cordaid Foundation provides both the pre-finance funds for the coffee and funding to CICAP, the NGO who provides technical training to the women.

These are the main goals of the Café Femenino Project:-
- To continue to strengthen the women’s efforts through regional and zonal meetings.
- Work within the existing socio economic structure to foster positive change.
- To provide Leadership Training session which help to provide and promote economic opportunities. Both OPTCO and all roasters participating in Café Femenino contribute a portion of their profits to the Fundation.
- To support women coffee growers to improve the quality of their life in the entire community.
- To support a sustainable economic system
- To share their History and encourage others to begin similar projects in other countries.
- To eradicate the marginalization of Women.

The benefits of this project can already be seen. The project has helped develop alternative income sources, helps provide books, education, better health and nutrition, and many many more opportunities to improve their conditions of life. Husbands today are sharing care of their children, helping in the household chores, and actually find that their wives are better money managers. Abuse rates have also been reduced, and women are now involved in management of cooperatives.

Grumpy Mule supports the Café Femenino project by sourcing the coffee they produce. We currently source ‘Organic Bolivia Café Femenino’ and ‘Organic Peru Café Femenino’ both of which are Fairtrade certifed.

We are dedicated to the following commitments for this coffee:
• To sell the coffee with the name Café Femenino on the label
• To not blend this coffee in order to maintain its integrity and Café Femenino status
• To have our female employees significantly involved in the sales and marketing of the coffee. Thanks to Debbie, Lyn, Louise and Vanessa in helping us to achieve this!!

You can buy Organic Bolivia Café Femenino at our online shop

To visit the Cafe Femenino website, click here.