Bean Voyage Expands Farmer School for Resilient Communities in Partnership with The Starbucks Foundation
Bean Voyage is proud to announce the expansion of the Farmer School for Resilient Communities, in partnership with The Starbucks Foundation, for the fourth consecutive year. This initiative is dedicated to empowering smallholder coffee producers by equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to build sustainable and resilient businesses.
Since the partnership began in 2021, the collaboration has significantly strengthened Bean Voyage’s mission to build thriving businesses with smallholder women coffee producers in overcoming food security challenges. The 2025 program will extend its reach further, providing smallholder farmers with the tools to create lasting impact in their communities.
Strengthening Smallholder Coffee Farming Communities
Founded in 2016 in Costa Rica and officially registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States in 2019, Bean Voyage is committed to building thriving businesses with smallholder women coffee farmers across Latin America. The organization focuses on addressing gender-specific barriers in the industry, ensuring farmers have equitable access to opportunities.
Through its continued partnership with The Starbucks Foundation, Bean Voyage has achieved significant milestones:
Trained 600+ smallholder women coffee farmers in income diversification, food security, and sustainable business management.
Distributed over $115,000 in seed funds to support more than 300 income-generating projects, including poultry farming, beekeeping, home gardens, coffee tourism, and food dehydration.
Farmers who received seed funding reported earning an additional $3.84 per day, positively impacting more than 1,300 individuals in coffee-producing communities.
89% of program graduates reported increased self-confidence, with 64% stating that their businesses would not have expanded without program support.
Addressing Systemic Challenges for Smallholder Women Coffee Farmers
Smallholder women coffee farmers in Latin America face significant challenges, including limited access to training, financial resources, and business opportunities. Research indicates that 47.6% of these farmers rely solely on coffee production for income, leaving them vulnerable to price fluctuations and climate-related risks. Additionally, gender-related barriers exacerbate economic insecurity, contributing to food instability and poverty.
The Farmer School for Resilient Communities Initiative
To address these challenges, Bean Voyage has developed the Farmer School for Resilient Communities (previously known as the Resilient Communities Initiative), a 12-month rural incubator program designed to provide smallholder women coffee farmers with training, peer support, and seed funding.
The 2025-2026 cohort aims to support 250 women coffee farmers in Costa Rica, empowering them to develop resilient, diversified farm businesses.
Program Goals & Implementation
Key Objectives for 2025:
Enroll 250 smallholder women farmers in Costa Rica, indirectly benefiting over 1,300 family members.
Provide training on climate resilience, agroforestry, and income diversification, including beekeeping, poultry farming, financial literacy, and business development.
Distribute $54,000 in seed funds across two stages to facilitate project initiation and execution.
Strengthen community networks through an alumni program and a Farmer Advisory Committee to provide ongoing mentorship and support.
Project Timeline:
March 2025: Open call for applications targeting 250 farmers through partnerships with a network of local institutions.
May - November 2025: Hybrid training model (virtual and in-person) covering personal empowerment, business development, and income diversification strategies.
Community & Regional Boot Camps: Hands-on training sessions with industry experts, alumni, and regional stakeholders to facilitate knowledge-sharing and best practices.
September 2025: Peer mentorship opportunities including learning from past alumni of the program through the Farmer Advisory Committee.
October 2025: Proposal review and distribution of seed funding in two phases to support project development and implementation.
March 2026: Post-program evaluation assessing impact on income growth, productivity, and community development.
April 2026: Graduation ceremony.
Looking Ahead
As Bean Voyage continues to expand the Farmer School for Resilient Communities, the organization remains committed to creating sustainable opportunities for smallholder women coffee farmers. With the continued support of The Starbucks Foundation, Bean Voyage is scaling its impact, equipping farmers with the knowledge and resources to build resilient, thriving businesses.
The latest collaboration is supported by The Starbucks Foundation, as part of its goal to positively impact 1 million women and girls in coffee-, tea- and cocoa-growing communities globally by 2030.
For more information or to apply for the program, please contact Maria Jose Monge: .
For press questions please contact:
Bean Voyage
Abhinav Khanal, Executive Director
abhinav@beanvoyage.org
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About Bean Voyage: Bean Voyage is a feminist organization building thriving businesses with smallholder women coffee farmers. Operating since 2016, Bean Voyage provides a bundle of services, consisting of training, mentorship, financing and global market access to smallholder women coffee farmers in Costa Rica and Mexico.
About The Starbucks Foundation: The Starbucks Foundation’s mission is to strengthen humanity by transforming lives across the world, with a focus on enabling community resiliency and prosperity and uplifting communities affected by disaster. The Starbucks Foundation has invested more than $25 million in programs that strengthen coffee and tea-growing communities since its founding and has committed to empower 250,000 women and girls in origin communities by 2025.
