Stronger Than Coffee: Donor Highlight
Independent films rely on the support of the community to come to life and have an impact in the world. We’re grateful for all those who share our belief in a media landscape that fosters an inclusive, equitable, just, and ethical community of artists.
Stronger than Coffee is powered by people like Alexa Romano and Maika Isogawa who have both been strong supporters of this project since the beginning. Both recent graduates and emerging changemakers, they understand the importance of storytelling as a means of uplifting the voices of smallholder women coffee producers and their communities. They wanted to share what inspired them to get involved, and why they think others should too:
About Them:
A Jackie of all trades, Maika is a technology professional, a writer, a music producer, a Cirque Du Soleil performer, and a self-described ‘coffee devotee.’ Her partner Alexa is a social anthropologist, photographer, and budding barista who has spent years investigating the coffee commodity chain, specifically as it relates to women in Costa Rica. Both have spent time in Costa Rica, working with Bean Voyage and their partner producers, and have been integral parts of the project from helping deliver equipment, to supporting the delivery of training, to donating funds.
Maika wearing a t-shirt that reads “womxn-powered coffee. womxn-powered world” / credit: Alexa Romano
Alexa smiling while sitting on a rock / photo provided by Alexa Romano
What motivated you to contribute to the film?
MI: The team is incredibly impact-driven, thoughtful, and hardworking. It was also an opportunity to contribute directly to a female-focused, equality-centric project. Finally, I believe that documentary-style storytelling is a powerful method of education –I once dreamed of being a documentary filmmaker myself – so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to support this film.
AR: During my work with Bean Voyage, I interviewed youth and women producers and wrote anecdotal stories combined with my photography. I felt honored to be a part of Bean Voyage's work and circulate their impact on media platforms! I am still enthusiastic and committed to empowering the lives of coffee producers whether that be in working alongside them, transmitting their words into stories, or working within the nonprofit sector.
How do you take your coffee?
MI: I typically drink two cups of coffee a day. For the first cup, I drink it black. For the second cup, I may drink it black, or indulge in a cappuccino or au lait depending on the day.
AR: I brew my coffee in a Vandola every morning and drink it black :) Sometimes I will indulge in an oat milk cappuccino with honey and cinnamon.
What else do you want people to know?
MI: I’m so excited to see what the producers create! Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this important project.
AR: I am honored to also have contributed a small amount to Bean Voyage x Needle and Frame's documentary project. I think that it's special when producers get to tell their own story, but now they are getting to create it. I am excited to see the perspectives and sentiments that will emerge in these films now that producers will be the architects of their stories!!! This is such an empowering move and I hope more media is created from the bottom up.
Join Maika and Alexa in supporting this project today!
You can see more of Alexa’s work here.
In partnership with Needle and Frame. Learn more about our collaborative project <Stronger Than Coffee> here.
