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When she inherited her grandparent’s coffee farm,
she wondered again: why wasn’t there Honduran coffee
in the US? Where was it going? More importantly, how
could she get the farmers more money for their product?
This led Mayra to create the Catracha Community
Project. Starting in 2010, she imported some coffee from
small holder producers from her remote region of Hon-
duras. Direct access to market meant the farmers could
get higher prices for their product, and Mayra was on the
When Mayra first began organizing events and
ground in the US finding buyers for their coffee. Togeth-
workshops in Santa Elena, she found it was incredibly
er with her husband Lowell, they began working on
difficult to get the women to leave their houses for any
improving the quality of their coffee, aware that higher
social gatherings. There was simply too much to do at
quality would also lead to higher prices. The Catracha
home – cook, clean, care for children, and help in the
project redistributes profits directly to the farmers at the
field. While it’s common for men in Santa Elena to
end of the season – a second payment for agricultural
spend their evenings drinking with friends, women
workers who usually only see one lump sum upon deliv-
don’t get the opportunity to socialize outside of spe-
ery of their product after harvest and processing.
cific activities, usually centered around church. To
Mayra and Lowell work as a team; now that
increase the attraction of these events, Mayra brings
they’ve moved back to Santa Elena full time, Mayra’s
in artists like Momoca to teach skills like making these
focus has shifted to community projects specifically
beautiful little purses which the women can make and
for women and youth, while Lowell collects data on
sell to bring in some extra income. Mayra sends a clear
processing methods and cup quality, providing recom-
message to each woman in attendance: invite a friend,
mendations to their coffee producing partners (who
sister, or mother in law – help spread the word! And
are usually men).
slowly, over the years she’s been able to build a com-
munity of women reaching across the mountains of
Santa Elena.
Rural communities are slow to adapt. While big
cities, and especially capitols, have come a long way
in regard to women’s rights, the countryside is nearly
always more conservative – sometimes extremely so.
This corner of Honduras is extremely remote; the
nearest city is Marcala, but it’s a one-hour drive, and
most people don’t have cars. As is the case in most of
Latin America, this means that many people – espe- On the other side of the equator in Peru, Edith arrived. He wanted to make me look bad in front of my
cially young people – feel forced to leave to find better Meza runs a farm she inherited from her mother in team.” Edith stood her ground, saying “Look, you can
opportunities. 2007. She’s had her share of sexist encounters and charge whatever you like, that’s your right. It’s my right
Mayra tells me about her friend Gloria, one of Ca- tackles machismo head on. “I had to make a strong im- to decide to work with you or not”. She’s positive that his
tracha’s producing partners. About two years ago, Gloria’s pression in order to win their respect”, she says, referring attitude was based solely on the fact that she was a wom-
husband and oldest son left with the caravans travelling to her male neighbors and colleagues who grow coffee an in charge of a group of men.
north to the US. Since then, she has overseen their small in the region. Edith opens our conversation with a story How does she handle this treatment? “I find
coffee farm on her own. “The quality of her coffee has about a contractor she hired. Having brought her team someone else to pick up the contract. Someone who
gone up tremendously, it keeps improving year after year” of workers (mostly young men) with several trucks full doesn’t have trouble working with women. If they do
Mayra says. The main difference? “Unlike her husband, of coffee to his remote receiving dock, she received a a good job, then I continue to work with them. Over
she follows our recommendations!” rude welcome: “He started telling me off as soon as I the years you realize, this is how it has to be.”

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