Grounds for Empowerment

Grounds for Empowerment GFE is an initiative to empower women coffee growers by providing economic opportunities and business

GFE is an initiative to empower women coffee growers by providing economic opportunities. The ability to support oneself also contributes to self-confidence, and allows for greater decision making power. Notwithstanding our focus on specialty coffee growers, we lend our support to all women coffee growers, and to all programs that are working to help women achieve higher socioeconomic statuses.

GFE's Breanna Spurley was featured as one of 2022's Best and Brightest MBAs by Poets&Quants.Not only was she an exceptio...
05/03/2022

GFE's Breanna Spurley was featured as one of 2022's Best and Brightest MBAs by Poets&Quants.

Not only was she an exceptional student during the program, Breanna worked with Grounds for Empowerment as part of the leadership team as a TA helping guide students through some of the most challenging sections of the workshop. She was also an active Social Enterprise fellow at Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute

Join us in congratulating Breanna on her upcoming graduation this Spring as a GBS MBA 2022!

Breanna Spurley, who is graduating from Emory University, has been named a Poets&Quants Best & Brightest Business MBA of 2022

Today we are featuring Yesika Hernandez and her coffee farm: Finca El Pino, in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.Yesika's family ...
05/02/2022

Today we are featuring Yesika Hernandez and her coffee farm: Finca El Pino, in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
Yesika's family has always been involved in coffee practices, from her great grandparents to her father, and 5 years ago she decided to dedicate herself to the coffee industry, from the administration process to the field work.

Despite having the support of her family, she has found herself being ask by people "why is she doing a man's job?". This encouraged her to include gender equality as one of the farm values, and motivates her to work to become a reference for women who want to grow in the coffee industry.

Learn more about Yesika and Finca El Pino via the link in our bio.



Hoy presentamos a Yesika Hernández y su Finca El Pino, en Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
La familia de Yesika siempre ha estado involucrada en las prácticas de café, desde sus bisabuelos hasta su padre, y hace 5 años decidió dedicarse a la industria , desde el proceso de administración hasta el trabajo de campo.

A pesar de contar con el apoyo de su familia, la gente le pregunta "¿por qué está haciendo un trabajo de hombres?". Esto la animó a incluir la igualdad de género como uno de los valores de la finca, y la motiva a trabajar para convertirse en un referente para las mujeres que quieren crecer en la industria del café.

Obtenga más información sobre Yesika y Finca El Pino a través del enlace en nuestra biografía.

Our GFE   is Karen Bonilla. Her coffee Farm 'Finca Los Conejos' (the bunnies) in Guatemala, has a name which comes from ...
04/26/2022

Our GFE is Karen Bonilla.
Her coffee Farm 'Finca Los Conejos' (the bunnies) in Guatemala, has a name which comes from a very original story behind the farmlands. Bunnies were pets sent to the farm and her children always wanted to visit their pets so the phrase “Vamos a Los Conejos” ("Let's go to the bunnies") was repeated often. Eventually the farm took that name, allowing it to be easily remembered by friends, suppliers, and customers.

Initially, there were 5 blocks of coffee plantations . Cherries were processed as naturals and managed to achieve a very good cup profile. . To date, 18.75 blocks of different varieties -- have been planted. Their success so far has motivated them to invest and innovate and recently their coffees were ranked as top 10 in one of Anacafé's Regional Competitions.

Learn more about Finca Los Conejos via the link in our Bio.



Nuestra GFE es Karen Bonilla.
Su finca de café 'Finca Los Conejos' en Guatemala, tiene un nombre que proviene de una historia muy original. Los conejitos eran mascotas que enviaban a la finca y sus hijos siempre querían visitar a sus mascotas, por lo que la frase “Vamos a Los Conejos” se repetía. La finca finalmente tomó ese nombre, lo que facilitó que amigos, compradores y clientes la recordaran.

Inicialmente había 5 manzanas de cafetales. Las cerezas fueron procesadas como naturales, lograron lograr un muy buen perfil de taza. . Hasta la fecha se han plantado 18,75 manzanas de diferentes variedades. Su éxito hasta ahora los ha motivado a invertir e innovar y recientemente sus cafés fueron clasificados entre los 10 primeros en una de las Competencias Regionales de Anacafé.

Conozca más sobre Finca Los Conejos a través del enlace en nuestra Bio.

GFE Lamenta el sensible fallecimiento de Don Ever Diaz, productor de café y esposo de nuestra compañera y amiga Norelvia...
04/25/2022

GFE Lamenta el sensible fallecimiento de Don Ever Diaz, productor de café y esposo de nuestra compañera y amiga Norelvia Elias, graduada del Taller GFE 2021.

Extendemos nuestras condolencias y solidaridad a su familia y amigos, deseándoles paz en estos difíciles momentos.

Today we're featuring Iliana Martinez and Finca San Andres in  . Through her education and work in agriculture, Iliana t...
04/20/2022

Today we're featuring Iliana Martinez and Finca San Andres in . Through her education and work in agriculture, Iliana takes pride in setting an example for small farms throughout her region and is energized by the opportunity to give back to the community through her farm.

Her vision for her farm includes transforming it into a place where people can take tours to learn about coffee , as well as serve as a place that brings people together.

Her farm stands out for its use of environmentally friendly practices, artisan and agronomic approaches to harvest, and, most importantly, the production of high quality coffees. Learn more about Iliana and Finca San Andres via the link in our bio.



Conozcamos a Iliana Martínez y Finca San Andrés en . A través de su educación y trabajo en la agricultura, Iliana se enorgullece de ser un ejemplo para las pequeñas fincas en toda su región y se siente energizada por la oportunidad de retribuir a la comunidad a través de su finca.

Su visión para su finca incluye transformarla en un lugar donde las personas puedan realizar recorridos para aprender sobre el café, así como servir como un lugar que reúna a las personas.

Su finca se destaca por el uso de prácticas amigables con el medio ambiente, enfoques artesanales y agronómicos para la cosecha y, lo más importante, la producción de cafés de alta calidad. Obtenga más información sobre Iliana y Finca San Andres a través del enlace en nuestra biografía.

We completed our Spring 2022 workshop for women coffee farmers in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras. During...
04/18/2022

We completed our Spring 2022 workshop for women coffee farmers in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras. During these 5 weeks our student team and mentors worked with the participants in topics like Storytelling, Financial Planning, Cupping and Quality, and the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide. We are grateful for all your support to make these workshops happen. Next stop: Graduation! Stay tuned for updates.



Finalizamos nuestro Taller GFE 2022 para productoras de café de Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua y Honduras. Durante estas 5 semanas nuestro equipo de estudiantes y mentores trabajaron con las participantes en temas como Storytelling, Planeacion Financiera, Catacion y Calidad, y la Guia de Transacciones de Cafes Especiales. Agradecemos todo su apoyo para hacer realidad estos talleres. Próxima parada: ¡La Graduación! Pronto compartiremos mas noticias.

Meet our   Maria Angela Castillo, and join us on a 'virtual' tour, as she describes her cofee farm Finca La Prosperidad:...
03/25/2022

Meet our Maria Angela Castillo, and join us on a 'virtual' tour, as she describes her cofee farm Finca La Prosperidad: "The smell of coffee and the sound of running water down the mountains are memories permeated in my mind since my father took me to the farm as a little girl. At our farm we take care of each coffee tree with love and the wisdom of generations to obtain coffee bathed in purple sunrises and golden sunsets"

Learn more about Maria Angela's farm and her journey as a woman in coffee via the link in our bio.



Conozca a nuestra María Ángela Castillo y únase a nosotros en un recorrido 'virtual', mientras describe su Finca La Prosperidad: "El olor del café y el sonido del agua corriendo por las montañas son recuerdos impregnados en mi mente desde que mi padre me llevó a la finca de pequeña. En nuestra finca cuidamos cada arbolito de cafe con amor y la sabiduría de generaciones para obtener un café bañado de amaneceres morados y atardeceres dorados”

Conozca mas sobre la finca de María Ángela y su trayectoria como mujer en el café a través del enlace en nuestra bio.

What if women in coffee ruled the supply chain? Join Algrano's webinar and hear from GFE's program manager Giselle Barre...
03/21/2022

What if women in coffee ruled the supply chain? Join Algrano's webinar and hear from GFE's program manager Giselle Barrera, Sunghee Tark from Bean Voyage and Vava Angwenyi ().

Join the discussion on Wednesday, March 23rd at 7AM Centroamerica, 9AM EST.

Get inspired by the examples of women involved in farmer education, trade, finances, and storytelling. 💜💪💜!

Register now visiting or via: https://bit.ly/womenincoffeesupplychain

We hosted the first session of our Spring 2022 GFE Business Tools workshop for women coffee farmers in Guatemala, Nicara...
03/14/2022

We hosted the first session of our Spring 2022 GFE Business Tools workshop for women coffee farmers in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. Our first topic is Storytelling, and how critical it is for the specialty coffee industry.

Many thanks to our lead mentors: Luiza Furquim from Algrano, Karla Boza from Finca San Antonio Amatepec, Philipp Schallberger from Kaffeemacher:innen and Fernando Pocasangre for sharing their subject matter expertise with our growing GFE network of women coffee producers. We also thank our mentors and student teams for their continuous support. Stay tuned for more updates!



Ofrecimos la primera sesión de 2022 paraa nuestro Taller GFE para mujeres productoras de café en Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras y El Salvador. Nuestro primer tema es la narración de historias y lo importante que es para la industria del café de especialidad.

Muchas gracias a nuestros mentores : Luiza Furquim de Algrano, Karla Boza de Finca San Antonio Amatepec, Philipp Schallberger de Kaffeemacher y Fernando Pocasangre por compartir su experiencia y apoyar a nuestra red de productoras GFE. También agradecemos a nuestros mentores y equipos de estudiantes por su contínuo apoyo. Pronto compartiremos más noticias!
Editado · 9 min

Women play a vital role in coffee, and yet because of deep gender inequalities, many of those women aren’t able to reali...
03/08/2022

Women play a vital role in coffee, and yet because of deep gender inequalities, many of those women aren’t able to realize their full potential, both as workers and as community leaders.

On international women's day we honor all the amazing women working hard for a more equitable value chain, and we renew our commitment to provide more opportunities for learning, sharing knowledge and networking.

Women have long worked for coffee, it's time to make coffee work for women.



Las mujeres juegan un papel vital en el café y, sin embargo, debido a las profundas desigualdades de género, muchas de esas mujeres no pueden desarrollar todo su potencial, tanto como trabajadoras como líderes comunitarias.

En el día internacional de la mujer, nos inspiramos en todas las mujeres increíbles que trabajan arduamente por una cadena de valor más equitativa y renovamos nuestro compromiso de brindar más oportunidades para aprender, compartir conocimientos y establecer contactos.

Las mujeres han trabajado durante mucho tiempo por el café, es hora de hacer que el café trabaje para las mujeres.

We start the week sharing a new GFE Farmer story! Meet Brenda Molina de Cifuentes.Brenda started leading her farm: Finca...
03/07/2022

We start the week sharing a new GFE Farmer story! Meet Brenda Molina de Cifuentes.
Brenda started leading her farm: Finca Captzin five years ago and her goal has been improving the quality of the coffee and finding new and better markets. She is a committed leader, rising at sunrise every single day to work and prepare for guiding the farm’s workers.
The farm is named for its large stones that are very similar to the Piedras de Kab’tzin, ancient Mayan era stones that mark the entrance to the nearby town. Learn more about Brenda and our Fall 2021 cohort via the link in our bio.



¡Comenzamos la semana compartiendo una nueva historia GFE Farmer! Conozcan a Brenda Molina de Cifuentes.
Brenda comenzó a liderar Finca Captzin hace cinco años y su objetivo ha sido mejorar la calidad del café y encontrar nuevos y mejores mercados. Es una líder comprometida que se levanta todos los días al amanecer para trabajar y prepararse para guiar a los trabajadores de la finca.
La finca debe su nombre a sus grandes piedras que son muy similares a las Piedras de Kab'tzin, piedras de la antigua época maya que marcan la entrada al pueblo cercano. Obtenga más información sobre Brenda y nuestras graduadas de 2021 a través del enlace en nuestra bio.

Meet Francis Gonzalez from Nicaragua. Francis participated as part of the Nicaragua pilot for our Virtual GFE workshops ...
03/01/2022

Meet Francis Gonzalez from Nicaragua. Francis participated as part of the Nicaragua pilot for our Virtual GFE workshops last Fall.
Francis is proud to say she believes coffee is in her DNA. Since she was little she has been embedded in her father’s coffee business. That's how her story in coffee began. Now, as a leader in her community, she supports the younger generation in starting coffee businesses. Learn more about Francis and her work with her cooperative via the link in our bio.



Conoce a Francis González de Nicaragua. Francis participó como parte del piloto con productoras de Nicaragua para nuestros talleres virtuales el año pasado. Francis está orgullosa de decir que el café está en su ADN. Desde pequeña ha estado inmersa en el negocio de café de su padre. Así comenzó su historia en el café. Ahora, como líder en su comunidad, apoya a la generación más joven para iniciar negocios de café. Conozca más sobre Francis y su trabajo con su cooperativa a través del enlace en nuestra biografía.

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GFE is an initiative to empower women coffee growers by providing economic opportunities. The ability to support oneself also contributes to self-confidence, and allows for greater decision making power. Supporting women in coffee growing communities will also contribute to community welfare, as women tend to invest in their communities. Grounds for Empowerment works within Farmers to 40, compensating women coffee growers 40% of the retail price. Notwithstanding our focus on specialty coffee growers, we lend our support to all women coffee growers, and to all programs that are working to help women achieve higher socioeconomic statuses.