Back in 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that women represent around “43% of the agricultural labour force in developing countries," making them “especially disadvantaged, with fewer endowments and entitlements than men…” Another FAO report concluded that just by “giving women the same access as men to agricultural resources could increase production on women’s farms in developing countries by 20 to 30%; this could raise total agricultural production in developing countries by 2.5-4%, which could, in turn, reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12 to 17% - or 100 to 150 million people.”

These statistics are a mere representation of what happens in the coffee farms, which is why Grana sought out ways to improve these circumstances by providing women a platform to grow their business.

Grana’s Solo Mujeres line is exclusively farmed and produced by women in Guatemala.
These women have gone through great lengths to learn, practice, and perfect the craft of organic coffee over the years. What’s more, they’ve now become land owners of their coffee plots and have used their earnings to continue to grow their coffee business.

By buying organic coffee directly from these women, Grana is an ally that helps empower them.

1. SHARING KNOWLEDGE
These women carefully handpick Arabica specialty coffee beans to ensure that few or none bad beans get sorted. This process is far more laborious than using a cutting machine, which is typically used in Robusta beans. In doing so, they have perfected their craft of the bean selection and are now teaching other women to do the same.

2. ETHICALLY GROWN COFFEE
As coffee growers, these women have also learned the specifics of ethically grown coffee and the certifications they require. After learning the benefits of producing ethically, they are now experts in the process and owners of their small lots.

3. LOCAL INVESTMENTS
With their earnings, these women buy more land to continue growing their coffee business. In addition, they also use their income to become local entrepreneurs in their town; their economic growth is the local economy’s growth as well.

As the years go by, Grana is committed to work with coffee growers and producers that care about the environment, about empowering those who need it the most, and about producing a great cup of coffee like Solo Mujeres.

To learn more about the women producers behind our Solo Las variety, how they support each other through education on organic coffee production, commercialization, and entrepreneurship, check out our clip below: