Reyna Mamani Luque is the first woman to hold a managerial position at Cecovasa, an emblematic coffee cooperative center in southern Peru. Faced with the global crisis that overwhelms this industry, Cecovasa stands out for Tunki, its organization’s coffee which is named after an Andean bird of South America.
Reyna Mamani has to endure a 11-hour truck trip through 250 kilometers of rugged ascents and descents to get to her farm located in the Alto Inambari district, in Puno.
The Quechua women of Alto Inambari are the strength of the cooperative. While their children go to the city and their husbands look for temporary jobs, they plant and grow their coffee. It is their legacy and they must preserve it. The fact that their production is organic and Fair Trade helps them obtain better prices for export, allowing them to continue dedicating themselves to the field.
In 2004, Reyna promoted the vote of women within the organization. Previously, women were not considered members even if they had their own land. Reyna Mamani, together with her companions, drew up a document in which she requested that the assembly pronounce itself on the active participation of women through the expression of their vote.
“I am grateful that this happened because it made me aware of our situation,” she recalls.
Although, it took her 14 years to become the first woman to hold a managerial position in December 2018.
