COVIR-20:
Bean Voyage’s Response to COVID-19
Virtual Collaboration Program to increase capacities and income for Smallholder Women Coffee Farmers in Costa Rica in response to COVID-19.
Bean Voyage is addressing two major challenges faced by smallholder women coffee producers as a result of COVID-19:
Lack of social infrastructure supporting smallholder women in rural communities during this pandemic exposing women often living alone to higher physical, and emotional risks.
Higher financial risks for smallholder women coffee producers due to the size of their harvest, the higher chance of contracts being canceled as the importers and coffee shops manage their financial risks, and unfavorably high rates of interest due to their gender and economic status.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are unable to host in-person workshops and are facing the loss of purchasing contracts due to the declining market. The canceled coffee contracts have resulted in more than $200,000 in losses for a collective of 67 smallholder women coffee producers in Costa Rica, representing 75% of their annual income. This translates into decreased funds for their children’s education and family healthcare, and their inability to purchase seeds and fertilizers decreasing (or nullifying) their annual harvest in the coming years. Moreover, the severe cut in annual income means accumulating interest on loans of women producers who already had challenges accessing favorable interest rates due to their gender, and can expose the entire families to an unprecedented level of financial risks considering the limited social infrastructure in the area. Furthermore, the lack of social infrastructure has exposed many smallholder producers, especially women living alone, to higher emotional and physical risks.
Our Solution: COVIR-20
The project aims to implement and scale-up Colaboración Virtual 2020 (COVIR-20) – a response to the COVID-19 pandemic to continue providing key knowledge programs and market access support to smallholder producers by leveraging existing low-cost and highly-accessible technology such as WhatsApp.
Provide producers with weekly curated learning materials via WhatsApp in voice notes and images.
Provide live sessions on WhatsApp where the producers are given a space to ask questions and get tested for their understanding by playing interactive games, tests, etc.
Leverage early momentum for market access through successfully negotiating to purchase contracts with small-scale roasters in Canada, the UK, and the USA.
Leverage storytelling and social media to find a market for each of our producers’ coffee.
We expect the long-term results to be the following:
Producers earn sustainable and thriving income (after the 3x increase from the current market price where the $1.04/lb barely meets the cost of production at $1.40/lb in Costa Rica).
Womxn producers gain greater agency within their households and communities.
Youth see the future in the coffee industry and engage with their innovative vision for their own communities.
Project Sites
Each pin corresponds to where our partner producers (in groups) are located.
Project Activities
10
Number of youth recruited to become facilitators.
200
Hours of facilitator training for 10 youth on leadership, project management and Care training curriculum.
400
Womxn in 20 communities receiving Care Training.
150
Smallholder womxn attending the Care Summit.
Meet the Care Facilitators
Allan Iván Jiménez Navarro
Allan was born into a coffee producing family in the coffee region of Los Santos. He is a student of Anthropology at the UCR. He worked in a micro-mill in his community. Coffee has played a fundamental role in his life as his family depends on it for their livelihood. He has a special interest in everything related to coffee in Costa Rica and the role of women in coffee production. Through this program, he seeks to support people to achieve their goals and contribute towards the development of a coffee culture in his community.
Amanda Suárez Calderón
Amanda, from Perez Zeledon is an Anthropologist from the University of Costa Rica and coffee enthusiast. She is passionate about the opportunity to broaden her knowledge about coffee and apply it in conjunction with her professional training in order to support women coffee producers to improve their socioeconomic condition.
Ashley Torres López
Ashley comes from Tilarán, Guanacaste, and has a Bachelor's degree in environmental health. She is currently a student of industrial engineering at the University of Costa Rica. She loves to learn about the entire coffee production chain and everything related to it. She has had learning experiences with small producers, baristas and mills. She is excited about the opportunity to learn more about coffee and support efforts towards gender equity and sustainability in the sector.
Isaac Facundo Madrigal Vargas
Facundo is a young entrepreneur of 21 years old. Currently a student of Commerce and International Business. He is a coffee lover and is very motivated by the possibility of learning more about the subject and helping small coffee producers in Costa Rica.
Jose Carlo Granados Umaña
Jose Carlos has a Bachelor's degree in Gender and Development and is currently a student of Economic and Social Planning at the UNA. He grew up in Santa Maria de Dota - coffee farming community. He is a barista by profession and has a coffee-filled heart. He has worked in the field of gender and engaged both men and women in his past work.
Raquel Monge Mora
Raquel grew up in a coffee farming family and community. She is a great learner, curious mind and is quick to adapt to new environment. She is currently a student at University of Costa Rica and is interested in receiving technical training on coffee while expanding her soft skills as she plans to pursue a career in this field.
Kendy Alejandra Vega Carranza
Kendy grew up in a coffee-growing region. Kendy is a good communicator and listener. Coffee holds a special place in her heart. She is excited about the opportunity to learn and empower women producers in her own community.
Viviana Gómez Cordero
Viviana comes from a farming family in a coffee-growing community. She enjoys working in a team and is dedicated to share her experience and learning with others. She is interested in training in coffee and looks forward to supporting other women coffee growers in their work and entrepreneurship.
Laura Gómez Cordero
Laura is a coffee producer who participated in the Care Fellowship. She wants to pass on the knowledge that she learned with other women and continue learning more about coffee in order to contribute towards the growth of young and empowered women in her community.
María Delfina Porras Solís
Maria Delfina is 24 years old from Santa Maria de Dota. She is a student of International Relations focused on International Cooperation Management. She believes in the capacity of people to work together to build a better world. Currently, she is an active part of her family coffee project. She is dedicated to learn, and grow with other members in her community through this position.
