Guatemala, La Morena Cubulco FSHB

In 2016, Genuine Origin initiated the La Morena program to empower female coffee growers and combat gender disparity within the coffee industry. Initially modest in scale, the program collaborated with four IWCA members, importing 32 boxes of green coffee beans—a micro-lot by all measures. However, the response from roasters was overwhelmingly positive, and the limited stock quickly sold out. This success paved the way for the growers, whose coffees gained significant traction in the market.

Fast forward to 2023: Genuine Origin's specialty coffee sourcing team in Guatemala partnered with over 800 women farmers across the coffee-growing regions of Huehuetenango and Baja Verapaz. What began as a small-scale micro-lot of approximately 2,000 lbs of coffee has evolved into a robust platform actively addressing gender inequality in the coffee sector. Demand from roasters continues to surge, indicating the program's profound impact and the industry's thirst for more.