hero_tyi-coffee-2019-09-30.jpg
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

Meet the coffee queen of Ecuador

hero_tyi-coffee-2019-09-30.jpg
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

Meet the coffee queen of Ecuador

VIDEO BY DEEPA SHANKARAN AND KEN GALLOWAY
Watch time: 3 min 12

Coffee farmer Carmen Chavez is teaching her daughter to be courageous and strong, in an unconventional way. In Ecuador, as in many countries around the world, competing in pageants is a rite of passage for young women. In the coffee-rich countryside of Intag, the annual contest provides a stage for young women to showcase more than external beauty. A supplier of ME to WE Coffee, Carmen is raising her daughter to always believe in herself and never be ashamed of her roots. Watch how the daughter of a coffee farmer dares to disrupt the pageant norm.