We create an incredible coffee that gets its quality and flavor from a combination of the ideal conditions in which it’s grown and the precise and powerful women who produce and roast it.
We roast in origin but still deliver coffee that is fresh anywhere in the world. This allows us to maintain a higher percentage of the wealth generated by coffee within Guatemala so we can more evenly distribute it within the producing community, while ensuring you enjoy the most authentic caffeinated story.
Coffee as a commodity is extremely volatile. Prices raise and fall but very rarely reach an amount that even covers the production cost of high quality coffee. The value chain is riddled with layers of barriers and middlemen that ensure producers are left with the smallest cut. On average producers make just $0.05 for every cup of coffee while consumers will pay an average of $3.50 for that cup.
Women’s role in coffee is undeniable as it is estimated that 70% of the work force are women. As undeniable the female influence is in coffee, women generally receive very little compensation. Only 17% of productions have a woman as an owner or manager, a stark disparity in leadership. Part of this roots from the fact that access to loans, technology, and education are infamously difficult for women in coffee producing countries, Guatemala being included.
On the flip side, coffee lovers in consuming countries are looking, yet unable to find, direct connections to fresh, specialty coffee that is convenient, delicious, and impactful for the community.
We aim to be transparent in our interactions, provide job opportunities, organize technical and professional training, eliminate unnecessary middlemen, and deliver incredible coffee to our customers.
At Chica Bean, we have simplified the value chain. Instead of 8 stops to get to the final consumer, our coffee has but 3. We buy our coffee, in parchment form, directly from the women who produce it. From there, we transport it to our roastery/office in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas where we do all of the remaining processing, everything from storing to milling, roasting, grinding (if desired), and packing. We also do all of the commercialize, exporting, importing, customer service, follow-up, everything. That’s stop 2. Stop number 3 is you. We ship our freshly roasted coffee directly from our roastery to your doorstep. We are the first company in Guatemala, second in all of Latin America that can deliver 1 single bag of roasted coffee to any address in the United States at an affordable price. We roast, pack, ship, and deliver all within 1 week, straight from origin.
This helps even out the distribution of benefits between coffee consuming countries and producing countries. Our model ensures that our customers get the amazing coffee they deserve while our producers and community are paid just prices.
We pay just prices based off of a livable wage, production costs, and quality. Our producer not only make enough to cover production and investment costs, but they’re also able to save. Our Chica’s make at least 50% more than the international price, with bonuses for a defined quality scale. Find the real parchment Farm-Gate price that our producers took home for each coffee in the individual product descriptions.
Educational empowerment means access to information that helps self development. In 2019 alone, we supported our farmers with trainings led by internationally recognized processing experts, opportunities to cup their own coffee, and access to technology like humidity measures.
Practical empowerment means decision making. 10% of all profits go to a community group organized and managed by our Chica Producers. These women are responsible for deliberating, deciding, and executing how these funds will be used. This encourages them to develop their decision-making skills as they manage the fund and play a direct leadership role in enhancing their communities.
Chica Bean alone cannot change the world. However, if all of us work together, progress and empowerment is sure to follow. And since it’s time for all of us to ban together, is there any better way than with a cup of truly special coffee?