The proceeds from our Coffee Wristbands donation at the World Barista Championship (WBC) in Melbourne, Australia will go to the Adelitas cooperative, a female organization from Tenango, Mexico.
The Adelitas Cooperative is a group of coffee women farmers who have been growing and producing coffee beans as a means of livelihood to keep their families and community afloat. They are based in Tenango de Doria, a municipality in Hildago, Mexico. Although Tenango is widely known for its beautiful embroidery, there is a bustling coffee community that is beginning to gain prominence.
Las Adelitas
We were introduced to the Adelitas through one of our Coffee Wristbands partners, Fatima Bejarano, who has been buying Adelitas’s coffee beans for over 2 years. These women have to work the farms and take care of the whole process because most of the men in the region work outside Tenango or abroad. They took it upon themselves to keep their coffee farms thriving and try to make a profit from them.
“As much as they are organized, there are still over 20 families that depend on the coffee.”
It wasn’t until Montze became the leader of the cooperation that the Adelitas became a more organized body. A graduate of political law, she introduced new advancements, encouraged the government to support their cooperation, and even reached out to bigger companies to buy their coffee beans. The process of growth of global visibility has been slow, and that is where Fatima comes in.
As part of the efforts for growth, Fatima suggested that they create a website to make it easier for people to reach out to them and sell to even more roasters, advising that they sell to smaller roasters who are also likely to buy in bulk. She also introduced them to the possibility of growing specialty coffee. They currently train younger women in the coffee production trade, from picking to sorting to working as baristas. They also have plans to run a coffee origin tour of the area to attract more tourists to the area.
Since the community relies deeply on money made from the coffee beans; the money would help with school supplies for their children, and support any health complications that may arise, among other things. Aside from the donation made, Montze pointed out that the visibility gained through I’MNAB is a really big deal to her and the community. A feat that I’MNAB is proud to be a part of.
If you are in Melbourne this month, make sure to visit us and grab the latest coffee wristbands for this special fundraising event for Las Adelitas. You can find us at AREMDE booth #530 at MICE, and at The Barista League competition.
Thu Sep 29, 2022 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM AEST
Proud Mary Coffee Roasters (Aunty Peg’s), 200 Wellington St, Collingwood, VIC, 3066, Australia
There’s a lot more coming from Fatima through coffee wristbands. If you would like to partner with us, click here or send an email to info@notabarista.org.
- https://coa.coffee/las-adelitas-coffee-farm/
