The nonprofit, in collaboration with the Starbucks Foundation, will lead the Farmer School of Resilient Communities for its fourth consecutive year.

BY BHAVI PATEL
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Photos courtesy of Bean Voyage

In the verdant hills of Costa Rica, what began as a modest initiative to support women coffee producers has blossomed into one of the coffee industry’s most impactful producer empowerment programs. Bean Voyage, a nonprofit founded by Sunghee Tark and Abhinav Khanal with the intent of empowering women in coffee-producing communities, has established itself as a formidable force in reshaping how the industry approaches producer education and sustainability.

The organization’s core mission centers on providing women smallholder coffee farmers with the tools, knowledge, and market access needed to thrive in an increasingly complex global coffee ecosystem. Through its holistic approach to producer development, Bean Voyage has pioneered programs that address not just agronomic practices but also financial literacy, market negotiation, climate resilience, and entrepreneurial skills—elements that have historically been barriers to success for producers. 

Bean Voyage recently announced the expansion of its Farmer School of Resilient Communities, in partnership with the Starbucks Foundation, for the fourth consecutive year.

Going Beyond the Cup: Uplifting Communities at Origin

Established in 1997, the Starbucks Foundation was created to support farming communities in origin countries by providing grants to nonprofit organizations doing just that—including Bean Voyage. The partnership between the foundation and Bean Voyage officially kicked off in 2021.

Abhinav, who is not just Bean Voyage’s co-founder but also its executive director, shares that the initial focus of the collaboration was tackling food insecurity. “Our first pilot was focused on 100 families. We distributed food baskets and provided training on food security, which was critical at that moment,” he says. “That initial partnership also included $15,000 in seed capital to help farmers launch sustainable income diversification and food security projects using the tools they were learning.“

He continues, “In 2022, we scaled the program and started working with cohorts of 200-250 farmers at a time, combining training, mentorship, and seed funding to support long-term resilience.”

Cultivating Resilience: Inside the Farmer School

Bean Voyage’s Farmer School of Resilient Communities represents the culmination of both organizations’ expertise. First launched four years ago, this innovative educational platform has reimagined producer training by addressing both immediate needs and long-term challenges facing coffee communities. 

Unlike traditional agricultural extension programs that focus narrowly on yield improvement, the farmer school takes a multidimensional approach. Participants engage in modules covering climate-smart agricultural practices, diversification strategies, gender equity training, financial management, and digital literacy, creating a comprehensive toolkit for navigating modern challenges in coffee production. 

The program’s distinctive 12-month rural incubator model fosters community building and peer learning while ensuring accessibility. The school’s emphasis on producer agency has shifted power dynamics, encouraging farmers to see themselves not as beneficiaries, but as entrepreneurs and decision-makers.

From Seed to Scale: Measuring Impact Thus Far

Since its inception, the Farmer School of Resilient Communities has demonstrated impressive results across multiple metrics. “As of now, 1,497 farmers have graduated from the farmer school, and we have distributed $162,760 in seed funding to support their action plans,” Abhinav says. “In 2024 alone, we experienced 130% growth, thanks to the expansion of our affiliate model into Mexico and Colombia, which allowed us to support 100 additional farmers and scale our participation to 350 per year. This also meant we were able to distribute $58,400 in seed capital just this year.”

He goes on, “By 2027, our goal is to reach 2,500 farmers and distribute $200,000 in seed funding. But more than the numbers, it is about deep, sustained impact.”

Beyond the numbers, the qualitative impact tells an equally compelling story. Alumni of the Farmer School of Resilient Communities have formed regional producer collectives, launched value-added product lines, and created learning hubs for their broader communities. Most significantly, graduates of the school report increased confidence in their ability to navigate market relationships and negotiate fair prices, a fundamental shift in an industry where producers have historically held limited bargaining power.

Covering New Ground: Plans for the Farmer School’s Fourth Year

The newly announced fourth-year expansion of the farmer school represents a significant escalation of ambition for the partnership between Bean Voyage and the Starbucks Foundation. This year’s cohort aims to support 250 women coffee farmers in Costa Rica, empowering them to develop resilient, diversified farm businesses, indirectly benefiting over 1,300 family members.

When it comes to training, the cohort will provide education on climate resilience, agroforestry, and income diversification, including beekeeping, poultry farming, financial literacy, and business development. It also aims to distribute $54,000 in seed funds across two stages to facilitate project initiation and execution. This expansion comes at a critical juncture, as coffee producers worldwide grapple with escalating climate volatility, market uncertainty, and generational transition challenges. 

“Right now, the farmer school is active in Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, and Honduras. And yes—there are definitely plans to expand! We’re aiming to bring the program to new countries across Latin America, with the goal of reaching 10,000 farmers by 2040,” Abhinav says. “That vision is grounded in our belief that locally rooted, women-led farming solutions can truly shift entire systems.”

For the coffee industry at large, this expanded partnership offers a replicable model for meaningful producer engagement that transcends traditional corporate social responsibility approaches. By investing in producer capacity rather than simply purchasing practices, the Farmer School of Resilient Communities addresses the root causes—rather than the symptoms—of inequality along the coffee supply chain.

As the specialty-coffee industry continues to reckon with questions of equity, sustainability, and producer livelihoods, the Bean Voyage and Starbucks Foundation partnership offers a compelling blueprint for how cross-sector collaboration can create meaningful impact at origin. The fourth-year expansion isn’t just good news for participating producers—it’s a hopeful indicator of how the industry might evolve toward a more equitable future for all stakeholders in the complex journey from seed to cup.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bhavi Patel is a food writer focusing on coffee and tea, and a brand-building specialist with a background in dairy technology and an interest in culinary history and sensory perception of food.

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