Bean Voyage and SANA: Coming Together for Mental Health in Coffee Communities

This is an important moment.

Mental health in coffee communities has long been overlooked. Limited access to services, cultural stigma, and the triple burden faced by women make it especially hard for them to find the support they need. A recent study published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics found that fluctuations in global coffee prices are associated with a 12.3% to 15% increase in depressive symptoms among Vietnamese coffee farmers. Although there is limited research on the same in Latin America, the challenge remains the same across other coffee producing communities.

At Bean Voyage, we recognized this challenge in 2021 and launched a self-care module as part of our work with women coffee producers. But the need is deeper - and it’s growing. With the growing volatility in the coffee industry, the need for mental health support and peer counselling is becoming higher.

That’s why we’re excited to announce a new collaboration between Bean Voyage and SANA, a mental health and wellness initiative for women in coffee farming founded by Lucia Bawot.

Our connection with Lucia began during the second Women-Powered Coffee Summit in Costa Rica, where we had the honor of sharing her inspiring book, We Belong: An Anthology of Colombian Women Coffee Farmers, with the attendees. The themes and mission of her work resonated deeply with us. We were honored to invite her as the closing speaker at last year’s summit in Mexico.

About SANA

SANA provides mental health care and wellness for women in coffee farming through a 5-month integrative program that combines teletherapy, education, and community-based support, to create spaces where women break cycles of silence, gain agency, and improve their well-being. A pilot program in Colombia has already reached 39 women—and it’s just the beginning.

How this collaboration takes shape

At Bean Voyage, our mission is to build thriving businesses with smallholder women coffee producers. Partnering with SANA allows us to bring mental health care resources to coffee communities in Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras, and beyond.

Operationally, SANA is a part of the Bean Voyage affiliate network. As a small nonprofit, we know we can’t do it all alone. Our affiliate model uplifts and amplifies organizations already doing transformative work. Through this partnership, we will provide fiscal sponsorship to SANA, ensuring that donations made through Bean Voyage directly support SANA’s mental health care and wellness programs.

We’re also looking to bring more partners and institutions into this vital work. If you’d like to support mental health in coffee communities, here’s how you can help:

Click here to donate to SANA

If you’re part of an institution, email us at hello@beanvoyage.org or reach out to Lucia directly at info@sanaprograms.org

Let’s work together.

We could not possibly be more inspired.