Coffee is a $100 billion global business. But most of the money you spend for your morning caffeine does not make it to the farmers who grow it -- almost all of who are from developing countries. Emory University’s Goizueta Business School is studying the coffee industry, identifying challenges and looking for ways to empower growers. The school’s Grounds for Empowerment program is focused specifically on supporting female specialty coffee growers in Latin America.

Grounds for Empowerment is a three-year incubator supported by Social Enterprise@Goizueta. It champions female growers as they transform their coffee farms into prosperous businesses. The idea is to show that when they are given the knowledge to grow their small businesses, they can invest in their farms, families and communities.

Social Enterprise@Goizueta is hosting several events in October and November to show how the incubator is working with farmers in Nicaragua.

Sip and Learn Wednesday, October 31 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Goizueta Business School - 1300 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30322

Participants will learn how coffee markets work, sample speciality coffee and meet the female coffee growers from Nicaragua that have participated in the Grounds for Empowerment incubator program.

Taking it to the Farm, November 1, 2018 4:30-7:00 p.m. Love is Love Farm at Gaia Gardens - 900 Dancing Fox Rd, Decatur, GA 30032

The visiting coffee farmers, local mixologists, brewers and chefs will gather at Decatur’s Love is Love farm for an evening of Coffee Cocktails and More.