La Morena - Empowering Women Farmers
In Guatemala, the coffee industry is male-dominated and gender equality remains a challenge.
Even though women operate 20% to 30% of Guatemalan coffee farms (and up to 70% of coffee production workers are women), it can still be difficult for women in Guatemala to compete and thrive in coffee.
Mostly, women are systematically disadvantaged when it comes to resources, including land, credit, and information. This often results in a measurable gender gap in economic outcomes, including yields, productivity and farm income.
La Morena was set up to combat this inequality, bringing women producers from Guatemala together to give them strength in numbers, create a network for them as producers, and showcase the women farmers across Guatemala and the incredible coffee they produce.
La Morena is a coffee from Cubulco, one of the better-known coffee growing regions of Guatemala.
Produced exclusively by female farmers, La Morena work with Volcafe and their farmer support programme. Since the La Morena collective joined the program, the farmers have improved the quality of their coffee, increased their yields, and earned more for their work.
By sharing best practices and improving coffee knowledge together, La Morena farms are not only producing excellent coffee, they're becoming viable businesses.
Above is the illustration created by Daisy Cleary that features on our La Morena labels. The illustration, featuring a coffee bean at its heart, is best described by Daisy herself.
"The idea for this illustration came to me late one night when I was reflecting on the La Morena women's project. As I sketched in my book and listened to music, I was moved by the hope this project brings to women in Guatemala's coffee industry," Daisy explains.
"With this illustration, I wanted to celebrate the strength and resilience of these women," Daisy continues. "The central figure is a woman who is both feminine and powerful, cradling her heart in her hands. The heart is shaped like a coffee bean, symbolising its importance to her and the sustenance it provides."
"The line continues upwards towards her mind, representing her intellectual freedom and the space she has to use her intelligence. The line then forms a crown over her head, signifying the empowerment and strength she gains from participating in the La Morena project," says Daisy.
"Overall, this illustration represents the hope and potential that the La Morena project offers to women in the coffee industry, and serves as a tribute to their hard work and perseverance."
Every purchase of La Morena supports these incredible women in coffee.
