Las Adelitas, Tenango de Doria, Hidalgo. Sofia y Felix. Lavado (Arraigo)

At Almanegra Café, we are proud to present two specialty coffees from the Tradición y Vida Cafetalera Cooperative, known as Las Adelitas Café Ecológico. This collective, made up of more than 70 women from the Sierra Otomí-Tepehua region of Hidalgo, in Tenango de Doria and Huehuetla, brings together women of different ages and social backgrounds who use specialty coffee cultivation to confront the inequalities in their region, where more than 50% of the population lives in extreme poverty.

Since its creation, Las Adelitas has worked to make visible and empower the women involved in every stage of coffee production. In an industry historically dominated by men, they promote solidarity, community leadership, and ecological practices that care for the land and strengthen their support networks. In this way, they have built not just a brand, but a social movement that defends human rights and women’s empowerment, promoting equity, justice, and sustainability in their communities.

This harvest, they introduced smaller jute sacks to improve the workers’ physical well-being, embroidered with tenangos that symbolize the collective’s sisterhood and resilience. In doing so, they promote local art and strengthen the identity and economy of their communities.

Café Sororidad comes from Finca Púrpura, led by Montzerrat Olvera Garrido, spokesperson for Las Adelitas and leader of the Tradición y Vida Cafetalera Cooperative. Montze, a master’s graduate in Rural Development Sciences, agricultural extension worker, and farmer with a revolutionary, feminist vision, transformed the family’s “La Pequeña Huerta” into a sustainable model with the knowledge of Enrique López, a renowned Mexican producer, and the support of José Juan Cabrera Lucas, an expert in innovative fermentation.

Throughout her career, Montze has faced gender-based political violence in local politics, finding refuge and a safe space in coffee production. Her coffee is a symbol of resistance, a tribute to her grandfather Enrique Garrido Cuevas and her mother Mayra, who holds the memories of her father’s coffee trees in bloom.

Finca Púrpura, located in Tenango de Doria, Hidalgo, is in a region with unique climatic and biological diversity. Montze spends her days renewing the coffee groves, growing Geishas and Marsellesas. She dreams of founding a rural school for women where they can learn about coffee quality, environmental stewardship, and human rights, and opening a local coffee shop featuring Las Adelitas coffees to share her passion and strengthen the community.

Café Arraigo, from Sofía Téllez and Félix Alarcón, is a story of perseverance and love for coffee. Despite the challenges of the market, Sofía and Félix decided to keep growing coffee thanks to the support and recommendations of their daughter-in-law Blanca Gómez and their son Melitón, taking a chance on specialty coffee and rediscovering and appreciating their product in a new way. They harvest and process Arraigo themselves, reflecting their faith and unwavering commitment to the land.

At Almanegra Café, we have had the honor of working with Montzerrat and Juan for the past four years, building a relationship that has gone beyond the professional and become a true friendship. Recently, their daughter Amaya asked me to be her First Communion sponsor, a gesture that symbolizes the connection and depth of our relationships in the world of coffee.

Las Adelitas Café and its products offer more than quality and flavor; they represent a story of struggle, sisterhood, and an unwavering commitment to their roots and community.

• State: Hidalgo
• Region: Tenango de Doria, Hidalgo.
• Producers: Sofía Tellez and Feliz Alarcón.
  
• Altitude: 1,200 to 1,300 meters above sea level
• Variety(ies): Typica and Marsellesa
  
• Process: Washed
• Roasted by: Extraordinary Coffee Roaster