Guatemala Women of Cubulco

About the Growers

In 2016 the La Morena program was created to give female coffee growers access to the global supply chain and to address gender inequality in coffee farming. The program started off small, with just 32 boxes of coffee cultivated by four IWCA women farmers.

Fast forward to 2022: Today the La Morena program draws coffee from hundreds of women farmers spanning the coffee-growing regions of Huehuetenango and Baja Verapaz. What started as a micro-lot of 2,000 lbs of coffee has blossomed into a four container (roughly 165,000 lbs) platform that strongly addresses gender inequality in coffee.
Between 20% and 30% of coffee farms are female-operated and up to 70% of labor in coffee production is provided by women, depending on the region. However, women have less access to resources such as land, credit and information than their male counterparts. This results in a measurable gender gap in economic outcomes, including yields, productivity and farm income.
In Guatemala, coffee has long been a male-dominated industry and gender equality remains a challenge. It is unfortunately very difficult for women in Guatemala to compete and thrive in the coffee world. La Morena was created to level the playing field and showcase the work of women farmers across Guatemala.

Coffee in Guatemala

Guatemala owes its distinctive, mountainous topography, lush rain forests, biodiversity and its coffee to massive volcanic activity. Volcanic peaks and mountains roll across the country and carve out Guatemala’s unique coffee growing regions. The mountain ranges help to create the country’s unique micro-climates. Together with the rich soil left behind in the wake of immense volcanic activity, Guatemala has the ideal conditions for coffee production.
Guatemala’s different regions create a rich mosaic of microclimates and nuanced coffee attributes. Producers are adept at taking advantage of their environment when establishing or expanding their farms. The diversity in micro-climates enables producers to differentiate themselves and provide a wide range of profiles.

Cubulco is a small town right in the center of Guatemala. The various small farms that contribute to this coffee offering are in the mountains nearby, including as Anonas, Las naranjas, La esperanza, Grano de Oro, Finca las Piedras and other small farms. Many of the farmers also grow other crops such as beans and corn for their own consumption.

This coffee is for the coffee drinker not looking for any flair; just a solid, dark chocolatey, well-balanced cup of coffee.