About the coffee
- Cupping notes: Balanced, medium body, notes of caramel, dark chocolate, lemon, roasted at medium
- Cultivation: Shade-grown on volcanic highlands around La Paz, Honduras
- Varieties: Bourbon, Typica, Catuai, Caturra
- Altitude: 4,000-5,000 feet
- Preparation: fully washed, patio sun-dried
About the people who grow it
Top and bottom photos: provided by COMSA Cooperative
“Manos de Mujer” is a group of female coffee producers within the COMSA (Café Organico Marcala, S.A.) organization located in Marcala, Honduras. COMSA is an Organic and Fair Trade certified group of growers who currently produce great quality coffee but also continually strive to improve. This “Manos de Mujer” initiative was started in September 2013 for the purpose of improving the living standards of the women members of COMSA that own and operate their own farms. But it’s not just coffee these women produce, they are also part of a larger initiative of women farmers of COMSA trying to diversify their farms beyond coffee, in an effort to have a more sustainable income throughout the year. To contribute, they’ve planted vegetable and fruit gardens, and started raising chickens, pigs and cows from which they feed their family first, and then sell the surplus in a farmer’s market of organic products from which the entire community of Marcala can buy from every 2 weeks. Their activities have not only helped their families economically but also emotionally since vegetables and animal farms require continued dedication and positive impact on their families. This initiative by COMSA aims to promote gender equality at the farms and throughout the community.