It Takes a Whole Supply Chain to Brew Change: The Cafe Femenino Story

Back in the early 2000s, in the highlands of northern Peru, a group of women farmers were doing what they’d always done—working hard on the family coffee farms. But here’s the thing: they had no voice in how the money was used. Even though they were doing a huge amount of the labour, the payment went to the men. The women weren’t being paid directly, and they weren’t part of the conversation.

That started to change thanks to a powerhouse woman named Isabel Uriarte.

Isabel is a sociologist by training and a champion for small-scale farmers. She co-founded CECANOR and later PROASSA, the exporting organisation we now work with in Peru. More importantly, she listened. When women started saying they wanted to sell their coffee separately, Isabel didn’t dismiss it. She helped make it happen.

That idea – that women could produce and sell their own coffee – was groundbreaking. In 2004, 464 women took a leap and separated their coffee production from the men’s. They branded it Café Femenino. And they asked a simple question: would anyone be willing to buy it?

That question landed on the desk of Gay Smith and her husband Garth, who ran Organic Products Trading Company (OPTCO) in the U.S. They'd been working with producers in Peru for years, and when Isabel called to say, "the women want to do this differently," Gay stepped up.

Actually, she jumped in with both feet.

She knew what it felt like to be told you don’t matter. She’d been through her own struggles—abuse, financial hardship, starting over with three kids and no safety net. And she knew the power of economic independence. So when the women in Peru said, "We want to sell our coffee directly," Gay didn’t hesitate.

Café Femenino became the first coffee program in the world to give women farmers ownership of their product from start to finish. It wasn’t just a marketing story. The money went to the women. The decision-making power went to the women. The leadership? Women.

That first harvest changed everything. Not just for the women in Peru, but for women in coffee-growing regions around the world. Because it proved that when women are paid directly for their work, families eat better. Kids stay in school. Communities get stronger. And women—well, they rise.

Of course, it didn’t stop at coffee sales. Gay went on to start the Café Femenino Foundation, a nonprofit that funds grassroots projects designed and led by the women themselves. Things like clean water systems, health clinics, leadership training, and emergency funds.

And Isabel? She kept going too. She continues to be a driving force behind the program, working with cooperatives, mentoring farmers, and helping women step into roles that once felt completely out of reach.

That’s the story behind Café Femenino. It’s bold. It’s grassroots. And it’s ongoing.

Every Café Femenino bean starts its journey on the steep mountain slopes of northern Peru. This is where women like Paula Chávez Gómez tend to their coffee trees, often on land they’ve inherited or fought to claim in their own name.

Paula leads the Asociación de Mujeres Productoras de Café y Quinoa (Association of Women Producers of Coffee and Quinoa)—a local women’s association formed to give female farmers a collective voice.

These women do the hard work—growing, harvesting, drying their coffee. But thanks to Café Femenino, they also get something many women in agriculture never do: direct payment, land ownership, and a seat at the decision-making table.

The women of Association of Women Producers of Coffee and Quinoa are part of CECANOR (Central de Cafetaleros del Nororiente), a regional cooperative that helps farmers organise and access international markets.

If the association is the community, CECANOR is the scaffolding. It provides training, infrastructure, and support—things like fermentation tanks, drying patios, and organic certification. It also ensures that women’s voices are heard in the governance of the coop itself. No tokenism. Real leadership.

Thanks to CECANOR, the women aren’t isolated farmers—they’re part of a larger, professional supply chain that treats them as equals.

OPTCO, based in the U.S., was instrumental in co-founding Café Femenino and continues to play a pivotal role in its success. They are not just marketers—they are the program managers and caretakers of the Café Femenino model.

OPTCO is responsible for setting and upholding the program’s standards across all participating countries. That includes ensuring traceability, direct payments to women producers, Fairtrade premiums, organic certification, and active participation of women in leadership. They also help shape the framework through which roasters and importers like us at 23 Degrees—and others like H.A. Bennett & Sons—engage with the program.

Through outreach, education, and partnership building, OPTCO connects like-minded buyers to Café Femenino and helps tell the story of why this supply chain matters. They’re a vital link between origin and market, making sure the mission doesn’t get diluted along the way.

Since 2006, Connie Kolosvary has been at the helm of the Café Femenino Program within OPTCO. As Director, Connie dedicates herself to expanding the program's reach, fostering relationships with women coffee producers across multiple countries, and ensuring that Café Femenino's core values remain steadfast. Her unwavering commitment has solidified the program's reputation as a transformative force in the coffee industry.

Once the coffee is on our side of the globe, H.A. Bennett & Sons steps in. They’re a long-standing, family-owned specialty coffee importer with a legacy that spans over a century. Founded in 1918, the business has been passed down through generations—earning a reputation for quality, reliability, and deep-rooted relationships in the coffee trade.

They help get Café Femenino coffee from port to roaster—reliably, efficiently, and with the care it deserves. As a trusted Australian importer, they’ve played a key role in bringing Café Femenino to Aussie cafés and roasteries. And we’re proud to be part of that network.