Bean Voyage

Bean Voyage not only gives the world women powered coffee, they also accompany Latin American small holder women coffee farmers to see their businesses thrive.

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Sunghee Tark

Sunghee Tark is one of the founders of Bean Voyage. SungHee grew up in a small town in South Korea, and at 13 moved to India with her aunt. She stayed in India for 5 years doing school, then made the move to the United States to recieve her undergraduate. From there, SungHee met two inspiring individuals named Nicole and Abi. Together they worked alongside a team of college students to raise money to support Nicole’s home community in Costa Rica. They held many events, such as fundraisers, bake sales, and concerts. After successfully fundraising enough money to build a community center in Costa Rica, Sunghee and Abi decided to travel with Nicole to her home with hopes of continuing their passions and seeing first hand the community they had been funding for.

Photo: Gwen Fluhr

Their visit happened to be during coffee harvesting season, where SungHee had the opportunity to learn the stories of many women who were involved in the coffee harvesting industry. After hearing personal stories of how women’s services often go overlooked and how producers made only a small fraction of what consumers were paying, SungHee quickly developed an interest in the connection between coffee and gender. While staying in touch with several friends, she regularly read research papers about coffee and gender after moving to Beijing to receive her masters degree. Since this learning confirmed the patterns she witnessed, SungHee and Abi decided to use their gifts to address these problems which lead to the creation of Bean Voyage.

"For you to drink a great cup a coffee, there's a lot of labor that goes into it" - Sunghee

“Every time we go to a community, we go as one person and come out another.”

Photo: Gwen Fluhr

Maria Jose Monge

We sat down with Maria Jose Monge to learn how Bean Voyage has grown since our first interview with her in 2024. Majo is the head of Bean Voyage in Costa Rica, and she started volunteering with the program in 2020. She was then hired as a full-time employee in 2022. Majo described her younger self as quiet and introverted, however when she would find herself working in communities she felt a sense of belonging and comfort. This led to her actions being more outgoing, and wanting to have positive interactions with the individuals within these communities.

After starting university studying sociology, Majo decided she wanted to find a career path that had her working more hands-on within these communities. She received a lot of her love for community through a nanny she had growing up, who Majo described as always looking out for everyone even when she didn’t have support of her own. Having someone in her life that made sure she felt seen impacted her greatly, and Majo found that through Bean Voyage she is able to provide that same feeling to others.

“Our work in coffee wouldn’t happen without women.” -Majo

Flor Coghi was a previous Bean Voyage manager who worked closely with the economics of the coffee industry. She worked to act as a bridge between different parts of the coffee chain. While being a part of this project, Flor expresses how she always felt surrounded by love and how this impacted her in many positive ways. Before Bean Voyage, Flor grew up in Costa Rica and moved to Korea to pursue taekwondo. She was also studying the Korean language and Economics at the University of Seoul.

Flor Coghi

“Working for Bean Voyage, I feel like I am always surrounded by love and a lot of passionate people.” - Flor

When asked to work a translating job at a local coffee expo, Flor started to gain a stronger knowledge on coffee and all of its dynamics. From there, she was offered a job to work as a communicator with coffee producers while living in Korea. This opportunity sparked her passion for the coffee industry. After moving back to Costa Rica, Flor started a coffee farm with her parents where she learned how to produce coffee herself. Flor explains how her goal was to flourish, which comes from growth, effort, and sacrifice, with the end result of beauty that emerged from the challenges faced along the way.

Photo: Gwen Fluhr

In July 2025, Flor shifted her focus to coffee production at her farm, Finca Las Piedritas, hoping to develop best practices that can be shared with other coffee farmers so they can grow together. Although leaving the structure and community of Bean Voyage was challenging, she has learned a lot from stepping out on her own, and continues to build community with whoever is around her. On the farm, Flor adjusts her work around the cycles of nature, finding trust in uncertainty. She dreams of a world based on love and honesty, and encourages inspiring entrepreneurs to accept themselves and find people who they feel safe with.

Fernanda Carrillo

Photo: Gwen Fluhr

Fernanda Carrillo was previously a program manager at Bean Voyage. Fer worked to provide multiple services consisting of training, mentorship, and connections with markets so that they can thrive in their projects and communities. She started volunteering at Bean Voyage in 2016, and was then hired as an employee in 2020. Fer described her younger self as talkative, creative, and musical. She had a deep connection with the world and enjoyed finding ways to connect with people in order to better herself and others. After studying sociology and finding her spark in rural communities, she began learning how she could bring value through her passion into these environments. From there she began her work at Bean Voyage, bringing in her experience and creating resources to better meet the needs of the community.

“Women are usually associated with their roles. A woman whose a mother, a woman whose a sister, a woman whose a project manager. What about just a woman?” - Fer