One of our favorite medium roasts, Organic Café La Dueña is full of chocolate, caramel and candied nut flavors. It is deeply sweet and truly balanced. Always at the peak of flavor, we keep this blend seasonally fresh by rotating in lots from Latin America as each new harvest arrives. While great on its’ own, it stands up well to cream and sugar. It is also delicious in a French Press or as a cold brew. Organic Café La Duena is not a blend in the traditional sense. Instead of combining coffees from different producer and roasting together, we choose to rotate through specific lots produced by women members of a single cooperative. Depending on the time of the year, this may be from a cooperative in Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, or Peru. While the specific origin is dynamic, we maintain a consistent flavor profile through careful lot selection and roasting.

100% women-grown coffee, Café La Duena hails from several small-holder cooperatives in Latin America. Women members of these cooperatives have come together not only to collectively market their coffees, but to also establish support systems for themselves and their familes. Historically, women coffee growers have received little recognition or opportunity for leadership in their farming co-operatives. We pay a premium for these women’s lots to be separated from the rest of their cooperative’s coffees. By doing so, we provide funding for women-focused projects creating equal opportunities within their communities. Supporting gender equity at origin has been a part of our sourcing model since day one. Our Organic Café La Dueña is one way that we recognize and celebrate the contributions of women in coffee.

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The farms of the 106 members of COCASAM (Cooperativa Cafetalera Sanmarqueña) are located in the moutains outside of San Marcos de Colon, in southern Honduras.  The co-op borders the Botija National Preserve where the farms serve as a buffer zone for its conservation.  In these mountains the coffee grows at an elevation range of 1200-1700 m, covered by shade trees, such as pine, with rich biodiversity.  The Cooperative has been certified organic since 2002, with 100% of their production organic. Sixteen small coffee producers founded the cooperative in 1988. Since then, it has grown over the years with a goal of improving the livelihoods of their members, with a special focus on projects and services for women producers. 

We exclusively purchase women-produced lots from COCASAM. As a partner of the cooperative for the past ten years, we are the largest buyer of these coffees. We have seen first-hand the impact of supporting women farmers in the local community.  As part of our long-term relationship with COCASAM, we have donated additional funds to the co-op. For example, these funds supported renovation of farms and building coffee nurseries for farmers most affected by leaf rust disease in the mid 2010’s. Our partnership Cocasam is strong. Purchasing these coffees year after year maintains a consistent supply of quality beans for Organic Café La Dueña. But more importantly, it ensures a longer-term market for the women growers of COCASAM.