Coffee professional Dan Cox (he served three terms as national co-chairman of the Specialty Coffee Association and has received its Lifetime Achievement Award) was visiting coffee cooperatives in Mexico in the 1990s with his good friend Dr. Francis Fote, an obstetrician and gynecologist, when they learned that the area had some of the highest cervical cancer rates in the world.
Cervical cancer, when caught early, is preventable and highly treatable. So the pair hatched a plan to improve cervical cancer screenings in Oaxaca, with initial help from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Ben & Jerry’s (like those companies, Cox is from Vermont).
Since its founding in 1996, Grounds for Health has treated more than 7,850 women and screened more than 100,000 women. It has also trained 549 healthcare providers and 1,339 community health promoters and equipped 60 clinics with cryotherapy treatments. To learn more, you can also check out its highly readable Spring Update report.
Online Coffee Auction
In 2009, a Grounds for Health Coffee Auction was established to further rally support for women’s health services in coffee-growing countries, and 100 percent of all auction proceeds go directly to the program. This year’s live, online auction is Thursday, June 13.
Eira Maria Suarez and her daughters Nadeia and Lourdes are third- and fourth-generation coffee producers on Finca Hortigal.
We encourage you to create a free account and check out this fantastic cause! (We’ll share the link with items to bid on, as soon as it’s live.)
We’re also delighted to announce that we’re donating two bags of green coffee to the auction.
Panama Hortigal Estate just arrived (in Grain Pro) last week and it’s a beautiful cup, with a creamy body, bright citrus acidity and notes of dark chocolate, brown sugar, almond and citrus. And, it’s produced by women.
Eira Maria Suarez and her daughters are third- and fourth-generation coffee farmers, respectively, who own and operate Finca Hortigal. It feels especially fitting that their meticulous work might not only thrill coffee shop customers but further benefit women.
Happy bidding, friends! •
