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Recognizing the Value of Women's Unpaid Work
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Revolutionary Fund to Recognize the Value of Women’s Unpaid Work
A momentous action for gender equality and economic justice came into being and called to mind the roots of fair trade. Thanksgiving Coffee Company had the privilege of being at its epicenter when it began eight years ago in 2013 .
For 20 years Thanksgiving has purchased green coffee beans from the farmer co-operative Soppexcca in Jinotega, Nicaragua. Under the leadership of Fátima Ismael who believes that ‘woman’s independence can only be achieved through economic autonomy and awareness,’ Soppexcca became the first coffee farm to enact an initiative to pay women for their unrecognized work.
Joan Katzeff, Co Founder of Thanksgiving Coffee on left with Fátima Ismael, Director of Soppexcca on right.
Thanksgiving Coffee Companies Co-founder Joan Katzeff wrote about her visit to Nicaragua in her post Women in Coffee part one.
This initiative was created with Etico, the Ethical Trading Company in 2013 and was part of the agricultural cooperatives, charities, and consumer companies they work with for one common goal – to raise the quality of life for those who most need it. In this case, the focus was on the unpaid work of women who make up 49.58% of the world’s population, yet are disproportionately represented among the most marginalized.
Despite making significant, often unrecognized, contributions to their local economies and to economic development, women face multiple and overlapping barriers in terms of access to education, information, decision-making power, or earning power.
To understand these limitations we need to look at how gender equality plays out in the economic landscape of the 21st century. When the GDP (Gross Domestic Products) was created in 1953, the global economy has only included transactions where money changed hands. According to a recent UN Report, the monetary value of unpaid care work is estimated to be 10 to over 50 percent of the GDP. An article from B of A reported in May 2021 this total was estimated to be $11 trillion per year.
If we look on a global scale it is estimated that 2/3 of the world’s work is unrecognized and uncompensated, and women do between 60-70% more of that work than men.
(For a great overview take a look at this video The unpaid work that GDP ignores — and why it really counts by Marilyn Waring.)
The Nicaraguan initiative aims to address the link between paid and unpaid work. For Thanksgiving Coffee Company this translates into an additional $0.10 per pound above the standard price paid for green coffee. As of 2021, this has totaled $30,000 paid into the women’s fund.
The Cooperative uses these funds to empower women by making organizational, financial, and educational resources available to them. Here are a few examples: Independence and security of having savings in their name, more women are joining the cooperative as full members, a positive example of development for youth and the next generation.
The groundbreaking Unrecognized Work of Women Fund is exactly the type of work that is built into the heart of our mission, to use coffee for social, environmental, and economic justice. The women of Soppexcca say it’s working, and we see the change. If you want to go deeper into the origin you can read the doctoral paper “Pricing Fair Trade Products to Include Unpaid Labour and Empower Women – the Example of Nicaraguan Sesame and Coffee Cooperatives” by Felicity Butler, Catherine Hoskyns, Nicholas Hoskyns.
To try Soppexcca’s Organic and Fair Trade coffee from Nicaragua you can purchase the Flor de Jinotega
We use Soppexcca in our Bee Bold Cause Coffee in Dark and Medium, which uses their coffee as the main bean in the blend.
Recommended Reading
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![Women Brew the Future | Flor de Jinotega]()
The Just Cup of Her Hands
There are hands behind every coffee harvest.
Hands that plant seedlings beneath shade trees.
Hands that sort cherries at dusk.
Hands that manage homes, finances, children, and crops.
Hands that rarely make the headlines.This March, during Women’s History Month, we honor the women who quite literally brew the future.
Our featured coffee is Flor de Jinotega, grown by the women and families of the SOPPEXCCA Cooperative in Nicaragua. This single origin is available in 5lb format for foodservice and serious home brewers, this coffee represents something steady and powerful: economic dignity rooted in community.
This is shade-grown Nicaraguan coffee cultivated under diverse canopy trees. Those trees do more than protect flavor. They provide winter habitat for migratory songbirds and preserve soil integrity for future generations.
We have long believed that quality of life and quality of coffee go hand in hand. When farmers thrive, flavor deepens.
Origin: Jinotega, Nicaragua
Producer: SOPPEXCCA Cooperative
Growing Method: Shade-grown
Roast: MediumFlavor Profile
Cocoa warmth
Soft citrus brightness
Balanced sweetness
A grounded, elegant finish
Women In Coffee Farming:
Recognizing The Unpaid Work
Across Latin America, women perform critical agricultural labor while also carrying the majority of unpaid household work. Historically, much of that contribution has not been financially recognized.
SOPPEXCCA has worked intentionally to change this dynamic.
Through Fairtrade premiums and internal cooperative programs, they invest in:
- Women’s leadership roles within the cooperative
- Access to land titles
- Financial literacy training
- Micro-loan opportunities
- Educational advancement for children
This is not symbolic empowerment. It is structural empowerment.
And when women gain economic agency, farms become more resilient. Environmental stewardship strengthens. Communities stabilize.
That alignment between social justice and ecological care reflects the very heart of our founding philosophy.
Recipe: Cardamom Rose Coffee Cake
Made with Flor de Jinotega
This cake mirrors the coffee’s balance with floral lift, warm spice, grounded sweetness.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup brewed Flor de Jinotega (cooled)
½ cup yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp crushed cardamom
1 tbsp culinary rosewater
½ cup olive oil
Pinch sea saltMethod
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8–9 inch pan.Whisk eggs and sugar until slightly lightened. Add olive oil, yogurt, cooled coffee, and rosewater.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cardamom, and salt. Fold into wet ingredients gently, just until combined.
Pour into pan and bake 35–40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Rest 10 minutes before removing.
Optional Finish
Drizzle with a light almond glaze or scatter sliced almonds before baking for a subtle crunch.Serve warm with a fresh cup of Flor de Jinotega. The cocoa and citrus notes carry the spice beautifully.
Spring Equinox & Renewal
March 20 marks the Spring Equinox — a moment of balance between light and dark.
There is something fitting about pairing that moment with a coffee grown under shade canopy, where light filters through branches in measured generosity.
Women in coffee farming embody that balance daily, production and protection, leadership and care, labor and love.
All Blends: Brewing Community Together
While Flor de Jinotega is our March spotlight, we also invite you to explore our full collection of coffee blends:
Each roast represents long-term partnership and artisanal roasting rooted in Mendocino’s coastal legacy.
Flor de Jinotega is currently available in 5lb format — ideal for cafés, offices, restaurants, and serious home brewers who believe coffee should carry meaning.
Why It Matters
More than 125 million people globally depend on coffee farming for their livelihood. When we center women in that equation, we strengthen the entire system.
This is what we mean when we say we are brewing a movement of justice, sustainability, and hope
Women brew the future.
We simply help tell the story.👉 Brew With Us
• Shop Flor de Jinotega (5lb)
• Explore all Thanksgiving Coffee blends
• Share your brew on Instagram during Women’s History Month
• Tag us for a chance to be featuredBecause every just cup begins in someone’s hands.
Lavender Grace is the Sustainability Consultant for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
Women Brew the Future | Flor de Jinotega
read more -
![A Just Cup: The Story Behind the First Environmental Committee in Specialty Coffee]()
In the early years of specialty coffee, before “sustainability” was a familiar word, a handful of roasters and importers began to ask for more of the coffee trade. What if quality wasn’t just in the cup, but in the care behind it? What if environmental responsibility and economic fairness were part of the definition of great coffee?
A Just Cup: The Story Behind the First Environmental Committee in Specialty Coffee
This is the story of how those questions led to the creation of the first Environmental Committee within the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) - and how one small roaster on the Mendocino Coast helped spark that shift. Thanksgiving Coffee Company's co-founder Paul Katzeff was among those early voices. His journey began with a simple desire to source flavorful beans and quickly evolved into something much deeper.
Paul Katzeff in the early days with original coffee roaster
From Flavor to Justice: Nicaragua, 1985
In 1985, Paul traveled to Nicaragua at the request of a nurse who had returned from the war zone with a sample of coffee and a plea: support small-scale farmers by helping them sell their crop. At the time, Paul was President of the newly formed SCAA and still searching for “the perfect cup.”
But once he arrived in the mountains, what he witnessed changed him forever: families living without electricity or clean water, cooking in smoke-filled homes, doing their best to survive. “Coffee flavor was no longer my obsession,” Paul later said. “I came home and changed our motto from ‘In Search of the Perfect Cup’ to ‘Not Just a Cup, But a Just Cup.’”
What began as a sourcing trip became a calling.
Women cooking in Nicaragua Photo by Paul Katzeff
Roasting Coffee, Nicaragua style, 1985
Elder Grinding Coffee - photo by Paul Katzeff
Paul Playing Ball, Nicagarua 1985
Rewriting the Rules of Trade
After President Reagan imposed an embargo on Nicaragua, Paul rerouted coffee shipments through Canada, where a Fair Trade roaster helped him finish the coffee and legally import it to the U.S. He then launched one of the first cause-driven blends: Café por la Paz (Coffee for Peace), donating 25 cents from every bag to support farming cooperatives in Nicaragua.
These weren’t marketing strategies. They were moral commitments, rooted in firsthand experience and a belief that business could be a tool for justice.
“We didn’t call it sustainability,” Paul recalls. “We just did the work.”
From Observation to Action
Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Thanksgiving Coffee took concrete environmental action.
- We financed the planting of 75,000 shade trees in Ethiopia through Trees for the Future.
- We converted our delivery fleet to biodiesel, the first commercial fleet in California to do so.
- Our team paid attention to soil health, biodiversity, and forest preservation before there were certifications that would then require it.
The company soon began receiving awards and recognition for our work.
Thanksgiving Coffee Company and Delivery Van circa 1990's
Solidaridad Coop, Shade Grown Song Bird Coffee Farmers - Nicaragua 1996 photo by Paul Katzeff
Beyond Organics: A New Framework
In 1996, Paul presented a groundbreaking green coffee buying framework at the first Sustainability and Coffee Conference hosted by the Smithsonian. Called “Beyond Organics,” the system recognized a range of environmental and social practices: shade-grown coffee, indigenous land stewardship, cooperative participation, biodiversity protection, and more.
The idea was simple: not all progress looks the same, but every step matters.
Read Original Green Buying Criteria here
Building a Committee with a Conscience
As more members of the SCAA began asking hard questions, Paul and a handful of allies proposed forming the first Environmental Committee. It was an uphill battle.
“There was resistance,” Paul admits. “Many in the industry believed a trade association wasn’t the place for politics or activism. But we weren’t pushing politics. We were elevating values.”
That committee—eventually renamed the Sustainability Committee—brought structure, credibility, and accountability to the growing movement. It evaluated certifications, supported origin-based initiatives, and helped small brands tell honest, impactful stories.
2000: A Defining Year
When Paul chaired the SCAA’s 12th Annual Conference in San Francisco, he centered the event around three themes: Quality, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility. It marked a turning point.
During his keynote, he challenged the industry to consider the human cost of low coffee prices. He announced a USAID grant to build cupping labs in Nicaragua, giving farmers tools to taste, evaluate, and price their own coffee for the first time.
The message was clear: coffee is about people.
Paul with a Campasino and connecting with the children of Nicaragua
What We Built Together
Since then, the specialty coffee industry has changed. Terms like fair trade, carbon-neutral, and regenerative are more common. But behind those terms are decades of work from small companies like ours.
Thanksgiving Coffee:
- Supported origin cooperatives through financial transparency
- Donated to reforestation and clean water initiatives
- Converted our delivery fleet to biofuel
- Featured farmers on our packaging before it was common practice
- Advocated for certifications with rigor, not shortcuts
Why This Story Matters
As the coffee industry continues to face global challenges such as climate change, greenwashing, and pricing instability - it helps to remember where the values came from.
We share this story to honor the path we’ve walked with our partners, our customers, and our peers. We’re still learning. We’re still evolving. And we’re still committed to using coffee as a tool for possibility.
Shop the Coffees That Carry This Legacy
Paul’s Blend – Founders’ Legacy Roast
A bold, meaningful medium-dark roast named for our co-founder, honoring 50+ years of leadership in coffee and justice.Or Try the Origin Masters
These small-lot coffees are from pioneering cooperatives including: UCA Miraflor and CECOCAFEN
the co-architects of the world’s first farmer-owned cupping labs.Sold outSold outSold out
Lavender Grace is the Sustainability Consultant for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
Stay in touch - we like to stay connected
A Just Cup: The Story Behind the First Environmental Committee in Specialty Coffee
read more
![Learn](<a%20href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Contra_commandas_1987.jpg">Contra%20Commandas%201987</a>){kind=link}
The Just Cup of Her Hands
There are hands behind every coffee harvest.
Hands that plant seedlings beneath shade trees.
Hands that sort cherries at dusk.
Hands that manage homes, finances, children, and crops.
Hands that rarely make the headlines.
This March, during Women’s History Month, we honor the women who quite literally brew the future.
Our featured coffee is Flor de Jinotega, grown by the women and families of the SOPPEXCCA Cooperative in Nicaragua. This single origin is available in 5lb format for foodservice and serious home brewers, this coffee represents something steady and powerful: economic dignity rooted in community.
This is shade-grown Nicaraguan coffee cultivated under diverse canopy trees. Those trees do more than protect flavor. They provide winter habitat for migratory songbirds and preserve soil integrity for future generations.
We have long believed that quality of life and quality of coffee go hand in hand. When farmers thrive, flavor deepens.
Origin: Jinotega, Nicaragua
Producer: SOPPEXCCA Cooperative
Growing Method: Shade-grown
Roast: Medium
Flavor Profile
Cocoa warmth
Soft citrus brightness
Balanced sweetness
A grounded, elegant finish
Women In Coffee Farming:
Recognizing The Unpaid Work
Across Latin America, women perform critical agricultural labor while also carrying the majority of unpaid household work. Historically, much of that contribution has not been financially recognized.
SOPPEXCCA has worked intentionally to change this dynamic.
Through Fairtrade premiums and internal cooperative programs, they invest in:
- Women’s leadership roles within the cooperative
- Access to land titles
- Financial literacy training
- Micro-loan opportunities
- Educational advancement for children
This is not symbolic empowerment. It is structural empowerment.
And when women gain economic agency, farms become more resilient. Environmental stewardship strengthens. Communities stabilize.
That alignment between social justice and ecological care reflects the very heart of our founding philosophy.
Recipe: Cardamom Rose Coffee Cake
Made with Flor de Jinotega
This cake mirrors the coffee’s balance with floral lift, warm spice, grounded sweetness.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup brewed Flor de Jinotega (cooled)
½ cup yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp crushed cardamom
1 tbsp culinary rosewater
½ cup olive oil
Pinch sea salt
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8–9 inch pan.
Whisk eggs and sugar until slightly lightened. Add olive oil, yogurt, cooled coffee, and rosewater.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cardamom, and salt. Fold into wet ingredients gently, just until combined.
Pour into pan and bake 35–40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Rest 10 minutes before removing.
Optional Finish
Drizzle with a light almond glaze or scatter sliced almonds before baking for a subtle crunch.
Serve warm with a fresh cup of Flor de Jinotega. The cocoa and citrus notes carry the spice beautifully.
Spring Equinox & Renewal
March 20 marks the Spring Equinox — a moment of balance between light and dark.
There is something fitting about pairing that moment with a coffee grown under shade canopy, where light filters through branches in measured generosity.
Women in coffee farming embody that balance daily, production and protection, leadership and care, labor and love.
All Blends: Brewing Community Together
While Flor de Jinotega is our March spotlight, we also invite you to explore our full collection of coffee blends:
Each roast represents long-term partnership and artisanal roasting rooted in Mendocino’s coastal legacy.
Flor de Jinotega is currently available in 5lb format — ideal for cafés, offices, restaurants, and serious home brewers who believe coffee should carry meaning.
Why It Matters
More than 125 million people globally depend on coffee farming for their livelihood. When we center women in that equation, we strengthen the entire system.
This is what we mean when we say we are brewing a movement of justice, sustainability, and hope
Women brew the future.
We simply help tell the story.
👉 Brew With Us
• Shop Flor de Jinotega (5lb)
• Explore all Thanksgiving Coffee blends
• Share your brew on Instagram during Women’s History Month
• Tag us for a chance to be featured
Because every just cup begins in someone’s hands.
Lavender Grace is the Sustainability Consultant for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
Women Brew the Future | Flor de Jinotega
read more
In the early years of specialty coffee, before “sustainability” was a familiar word, a handful of roasters and importers began to ask for more of the coffee trade. What if quality wasn’t just in the cup, but in the care behind it? What if environmental responsibility and economic fairness were part of the definition of great coffee?
A Just Cup: The Story Behind the First Environmental Committee in Specialty Coffee
This is the story of how those questions led to the creation of the first Environmental Committee within the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) - and how one small roaster on the Mendocino Coast helped spark that shift. Thanksgiving Coffee Company's co-founder Paul Katzeff was among those early voices. His journey began with a simple desire to source flavorful beans and quickly evolved into something much deeper.
Paul Katzeff in the early days with original coffee roaster
From Flavor to Justice: Nicaragua, 1985
In 1985, Paul traveled to Nicaragua at the request of a nurse who had returned from the war zone with a sample of coffee and a plea: support small-scale farmers by helping them sell their crop. At the time, Paul was President of the newly formed SCAA and still searching for “the perfect cup.”
But once he arrived in the mountains, what he witnessed changed him forever: families living without electricity or clean water, cooking in smoke-filled homes, doing their best to survive. “Coffee flavor was no longer my obsession,” Paul later said. “I came home and changed our motto from ‘In Search of the Perfect Cup’ to ‘Not Just a Cup, But a Just Cup.’”
What began as a sourcing trip became a calling.
Women cooking in Nicaragua Photo by Paul Katzeff
Roasting Coffee, Nicaragua style, 1985
Elder Grinding Coffee - photo by Paul Katzeff
Paul Playing Ball, Nicagarua 1985
Rewriting the Rules of Trade
After President Reagan imposed an embargo on Nicaragua, Paul rerouted coffee shipments through Canada, where a Fair Trade roaster helped him finish the coffee and legally import it to the U.S. He then launched one of the first cause-driven blends: Café por la Paz (Coffee for Peace), donating 25 cents from every bag to support farming cooperatives in Nicaragua.
These weren’t marketing strategies. They were moral commitments, rooted in firsthand experience and a belief that business could be a tool for justice.
“We didn’t call it sustainability,” Paul recalls. “We just did the work.”
From Observation to Action
Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Thanksgiving Coffee took concrete environmental action.
- We financed the planting of 75,000 shade trees in Ethiopia through Trees for the Future.
- We converted our delivery fleet to biodiesel, the first commercial fleet in California to do so.
- Our team paid attention to soil health, biodiversity, and forest preservation before there were certifications that would then require it.
The company soon began receiving awards and recognition for our work.
Thanksgiving Coffee Company and Delivery Van circa 1990's
Solidaridad Coop, Shade Grown Song Bird Coffee Farmers - Nicaragua 1996 photo by Paul Katzeff
Beyond Organics: A New Framework
In 1996, Paul presented a groundbreaking green coffee buying framework at the first Sustainability and Coffee Conference hosted by the Smithsonian. Called “Beyond Organics,” the system recognized a range of environmental and social practices: shade-grown coffee, indigenous land stewardship, cooperative participation, biodiversity protection, and more.
The idea was simple: not all progress looks the same, but every step matters.
Read Original Green Buying Criteria here
Building a Committee with a Conscience
As more members of the SCAA began asking hard questions, Paul and a handful of allies proposed forming the first Environmental Committee. It was an uphill battle.
“There was resistance,” Paul admits. “Many in the industry believed a trade association wasn’t the place for politics or activism. But we weren’t pushing politics. We were elevating values.”
That committee—eventually renamed the Sustainability Committee—brought structure, credibility, and accountability to the growing movement. It evaluated certifications, supported origin-based initiatives, and helped small brands tell honest, impactful stories.
2000: A Defining Year
When Paul chaired the SCAA’s 12th Annual Conference in San Francisco, he centered the event around three themes: Quality, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility. It marked a turning point.
During his keynote, he challenged the industry to consider the human cost of low coffee prices. He announced a USAID grant to build cupping labs in Nicaragua, giving farmers tools to taste, evaluate, and price their own coffee for the first time.
The message was clear: coffee is about people.
Paul with a Campasino and connecting with the children of Nicaragua
What We Built Together
Since then, the specialty coffee industry has changed. Terms like fair trade, carbon-neutral, and regenerative are more common. But behind those terms are decades of work from small companies like ours.
Thanksgiving Coffee:
- Supported origin cooperatives through financial transparency
- Donated to reforestation and clean water initiatives
- Converted our delivery fleet to biofuel
- Featured farmers on our packaging before it was common practice
- Advocated for certifications with rigor, not shortcuts
Why This Story Matters
As the coffee industry continues to face global challenges such as climate change, greenwashing, and pricing instability - it helps to remember where the values came from.
We share this story to honor the path we’ve walked with our partners, our customers, and our peers. We’re still learning. We’re still evolving. And we’re still committed to using coffee as a tool for possibility.
Shop the Coffees That Carry This Legacy
Paul’s Blend – Founders’ Legacy Roast
A bold, meaningful medium-dark roast named for our co-founder, honoring 50+ years of leadership in coffee and justice.
Or Try the Origin Masters
These small-lot coffees are from pioneering cooperatives including: UCA Miraflor and CECOCAFEN
the co-architects of the world’s first farmer-owned cupping labs.
Lavender Grace is the Sustainability Consultant for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
Stay in touch - we like to stay connected
A Just Cup: The Story Behind the First Environmental Committee in Specialty Coffee
read more
Taste the Bright Future of Coffee
- Tasting Notes: Vibrant citrus, delicate florals, and a smooth honey finish
- Mouthfeel: Silky and refreshing, with a bright, clean finish
- Perfect for: Pour over, drip, or French press—ideal for your morning clarity ritual
Rwanda Single Origin Coffee with citrus, floral, and honey tasting notes from Dukunde Kawa.
Why Dukunde Kawa Coffee Matters
Dukunde Kawa means “Let’s love coffee”—a name that reflects their commitment to people, planet, and flavor. This Rwandan cooperative is internationally recognized for combining exceptional quality with climate action.
- 2,500+ clean cook stoves installed, reducing wood use by 70%
- Tree nurseries restoring biodiversity and combating soil erosion
- Women’s leadership with 80% women participation at the Ruli washing station
Every bag of Rwanda Single Origin supports these impactful programs, making every cup an act of regeneration and reciprocity.
Sources: Dukunde Kawa Sustainability Programs and Thanksgiving Coffee Dukunde Kawa Story
Rwanda Coffee Farm
Brew a Better Morning, Support a Better Future
- Support healthier homes with clean cook stove initiatives
- Restore forests and farms through reforestation efforts
- Empower women farmers, nurturing local leadership
Recipe: Cold Brew for Summer Brightness
- Coarse grind 1 cup of beans
- Steep in 4 cups of filtered water for 12-14 hours
- Serve over ice with a twist of fresh orange peel
Explore More Flavor Stories
Lavender Grace is the Sustainable Ecology Advocate for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
Stay in touch - we like to stay connected