In coffee-yielding regions, a new and dynamic product is blossoming that continues to reshape the sociocultural landscape of the Third World - a product christened Café Femenino. A coffee grown, harvested and produced exclusively by female farmers (hence the name), Café Femenino contributes a great deal to attempts to reverse the machismo-fueled, patriarchal attitudes of local coffee culture - by proving and justifying gender equality and dramatically cutting back on misogynistic violence. Sharron Bates's documentary Strong Coffee follows a group of coffee roasters on their journey to Northern Peru, and meets the women who - in spite of abject poverty - continue to make this product a reality. The documentarist also provides a firsthand look at how Café Femenino is harvested, processed, and marketed, and touches on the question of how Femenino is impacting women's roles in contemporary North American society.
by Nathan Southern
synopsis
- Underdogs
- Third-World
- Virility
- Women's-issues
- Work Ethics
- Women's-Liberation
- Poverty
- Plantation
- Food For Thought
- Deprivation
- Machismo
- Macho