Celebrating International Women's Day by breaking biases

Today is International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme is #BreakTheBias, which serves as a moment to recognize the biases, deliberate and unconscious, that hinder progress for not only women, but our society as a whole. With this sentiment in mind, we use this issue of the Guate Grind to highlight how La Familia Collective, one of our newest formed partner cooperatives, is breaking biases and embodying the change they hope to see in their community and the larger coffee industry. 

Made up of two extended families of coffee producers spanning two generations, La Familia Collective formed in 2021 with the vision of preserving the expertise that the original coffee farmers of their family have acquired to carry into a new chapter of innovation and advancement, which includes prioritizing equity for women coffee producers. As a symbol of their commitment to creating more opportunities for women in the coffee industry, La Familia Collective named Estela, the youngest sister of nine siblings and a second-generation coffee farmer, the legal representative. 

“We come from a community with strong gender roles and high levels of sexism, and we want to be part of turning the page from that,” explains Freddy, her older brother and La Familia Collective member. “In Guatemala, we see hesitancy towards giving a woman a position of leadership, and we want to prove that women are capable. We know what Estela is capable of.”

Estela, who is 20 years old, is known in her community for her proactivity and vibrant and positive attitude. She has naturally stepped into a spokesperson role for her family’s work with a contagious enthusiasm for their profession as coffee growers. “La Familia Collective believes in women and believes in younger generations,” she says. “In our project, we believe that if we provide opportunities, especially for young women, we can show the world what kind of change is possible.”

Within their community of San Miguel Escobar, the decision to name Estela as the legal representative and public leader of La Familia Collective has not gone unnoticed. “We have felt a lot of acceptance from the community,” explains Estela. “A lot of people have congratulated me and expressed happiness that women’s voices are being heard.” Equally, De La Gente lifts up La Familia Collective’s intentionality and commitment to breaking down the biases and barriers that prevent women from rising to positions of leadership. When asked what kind of future he envisions, Estela’s brother Freddy says, “I hope that in 20 years from now, there will be the same opportunities for both men and women…My hope is to see more women in positions of leadership, and this is part of our mission…We’re an example of the change we want to see.”