Celebrating Extraordinary Women This International Women’s Day

For generations, the world of business has largely been a man’s world. Even today, when you look at major global companies, most CEOs are still men. While exact numbers vary, many estimates suggest the ratio may still be close to 89% men to 11% women. That gap is striking today—but imagine what it was like 100 years ago. Honoring women on International Women’s Day reminds us of the progress made and the extraordinary women who continue to break barriers in business and beyond.

In the early 1900s, it was quite uncommon for women to lead companies or build businesses. Women were basically expected to marry, run households, and raise children. Leadership, finance, and commerce were considered something that only men did.

That is why International Women’s Day on March 8th matters so much. Around the world, this day celebrates the remarkable women who challenged expectations and changed the course of history.

Among them was my great-grandmother, Amalia Madriñán de Márquez, whose courage and determination created a legacy that continues to inspire my family today. It’s an honor for me to tell her story. I am quite proud of her and her story as a woman in business.

Amalia Madriñán de Márquez: A Widow Who Built a Coffee Empire

In 1906, my great-grandmother Amalia Madriñán de Márquez faced a life-altering moment. All of a sudden, she became a widow with five children and the responsibility of managing a vast coffee estate.

The advice from those around her was immediate and unanimous: sell everything now!!!

People told her she was not capable of running such a large operation. They believed a woman could not possibly manage a plantation, oversee workers, negotiate exports, and handle finances. One of her own cousins even made her a very attractive offer to buy the estate.

However…..she refused!!

She believed deeply in the dream she had built with her husband, and she was determined not to abandon it.

Amalia had never gone to college. In fact, like most women of her time, she may not even have finished high school (I am not quite sure how far her education went!). At that time, women were not raised to pursue education or careers. They were raised to become wives, manage a home, and raise large families.

As a matter of fact, she chose a different path.

She decided to learn everything she needed to know to run the plantation herself.

Her determination paid off.

By 1920, Amalia had become one of the largest coffee growers and exporters in Colombia. During coffee harvest season, her estate employed between 600-800 workers. She even created her own internal currency to pay them, a remarkable innovation for the time.

But….her ambition did not stop there!!

Amalia had a dream—to live in Paris. In the early 1920s, she made that dream a reality. For about fifteen years she and her family lived in Paris while continuing to manage her plantation from abroad through letters and cables.

Communication in those days was painfully slow. Letters sent by regular mail could take one to two months to arrive. Air mail was a newer, faster option, but it was more expensive and meant for shorter messages. Air Mail meant, parts of the journey traveled by air, while the rest continued by ship, meaning a letter could still take nearly a month to arrive.

Despite those challenges, she successfully expanded her coffee business in Colombia while enjoying the life of luxury she had dreamed of for herself and her family.

Her story is one of vision, courage, and unwavering determination. A true story of an amazing woman in business.

Coco Chanel: From Orphan to Global Icon

Another extraordinary woman from that same era was Coco Chanel.

She began far from the glamorous world she would later create.

Chanel’s mother died when she was quite young. As a result, she and her sister were sent to an orphanage which was run by nuns. Her mother had been a seamstress, and Chanel began learning basic sewing skills from her early on. At the orphanage, the nuns refined those skills and taught her discipline and craftsmanship.

Around the time when she turned eighteen, she left the orphanage and worked for a local seamstress alongside her sister. The work was exhausting, and the pay was minimal. She quickly realized she did not want this life to define her future.

She dreamed of something bigger.

Determined to create a different destiny, Chanel began designing and selling her own creations. Her vision, style, and relentless drive eventually transformed the fashion world.

By the 1920s, Chanel had built an extraordinary business empire. Her fashion house employed more than 2,000 people—an astonishing number at a time when female business leaders were almost unheard of.

Today, the brand Chanel remains one of the most influential fashion houses in the world.

Her story is a powerful reminder that resilience and creativity can transform even the most difficult beginnings into something extraordinary.

Two Women, One City, and an Extraordinary Era

What I find most fascinating is that these two remarkable women crossed paths in Paris during the 1920s.

Neither of them attended elite business schools such as Harvard University or the University of Cambridge. In fact, both had only very basic formal education.

Yet…..they each built thriving empires in industries dominated by men.

Amalia revolutionized coffee production and export in Colombia. Chanel redefined fashion and created a brand that still shapes global style today.

Both women faced enormous challenges. Both experienced hardship. And yet neither allowed circumstances to define their future.

Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they chose to become the best in their fields—and they succeeded beyond imagination.

For me, it is a profound honor to be the great-granddaughter of Amalia Madriñán de Márquez. Her courage, vision, and resilience continue to inspire me every single day.

Inspiring stories like these, must be remembered and honored!!!

Celebrate Women’s Day With Coffee and Inspiration

This International Women’s Day, take a moment to celebrate the extraordinary women in your own life.

Mothers. Grandmothers. Entrepreneurs. Dreamers. Builders.

Their stories matter.

If you would like to learn more about our family’s coffee legacy, explore our coffee table book “Planting The Seeds.” It shares the remarkable journey of our family and the generations who dedicated their lives to coffee.

Then pour yourself a beautiful cup of specialty coffee—whether it’s our Medium Roast, Dark Roast, or Espresso.

Slow down. Enjoy the moment.

And raise your cup to the amazing women who made the world better for all of us. ☕✨