21-23 October 2015, New York City. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX Asia) honored Coffee for Peace, Inc. (CFP) as one of the winners of the N-Peace Innovation Challenge. This international recognition celebrates Coffee for Peace not only as a successful enterprise but as a model of how peacebuilding, social inclusion, and sustainable livelihood can be harmoniously brewed into one inspiring mission. Joji Pantoja, CEO of Coffee For Peace, received the award on behalf of the women who comprise the 80 percent of the farming farmers of CFP. The N-Peace Awards Ceremony was held at One UN Hotel, New York, NY.
N-Peace means “eNgage for peace, equality, access, and empowerment.” N-Peace is “a multi-country initiative of UNDP to advance women’s leadership for conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding, and for promoting inclusive peace processes.”
A Business Model for Peace and Justice
Coffee for Peace began its journey in 2008 with a simple yet transformative vision: to use coffee as a vehicle for peacebuilding and community reconciliation in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao. Founded by Joji Felicitas Bautista Pantoja together with her husband Dann Pantoja, CFP has grown into a dynamic social enterprise that empowers farmers—many of them from indigenous and marginalized communities—to achieve both economic security and social dignity.
Unlike conventional coffee businesses, Coffee for Peace integrates peacebuilding and environmental care into every stage of its operations. Through training in sustainable agriculture, fair trade principles, and conflict transformation, CFP nurtures a culture of cooperation and shared responsibility among coffee farming communities. The result is a business that is not only profitable but profoundly ethical—embodying what the UNDP and IIX call a “triple bottom line” approach: People, Planet, and Profit.
Empowering Women Through Inclusive Enterprise
The N-Peace Award particularly highlighted the crucial role of women in Coffee for Peace’s success. Women make up 80 percent of CFP’s farming partners, and the enterprise has intentionally built a culture that recognizes women as decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and peacebuilders.
Joji Pantoja, CFP’s President and Co-Founder, received the award on behalf of these women, saying that “their courage and perseverance are the true foundations of our peacebuilding mission.” For Joji, peace is not just the absence of war—it is the presence of justice, equality, and opportunity.
Her leadership embodies this philosophy. As a former missionary and now a social entrepreneur, Joji bridges the gap between faith and business, spirituality and sustainability. Under her guidance, Coffee for Peace has become a movement of reconciliation, connecting tribes, former combatants, and lowland settlers through shared economic goals and a commitment to mutual respect.
Brewing Transformation in Conflict Zones
What makes Coffee for Peace exceptional is where and how it operates. Many of its partner farmers live in areas historically affected by armed conflict between government forces and revolutionary movements. By introducing the principles of inclusive business, CFP helps these communities transition from dependency and division toward self-reliance and peace.
The UNDP–IIX citation notes that Coffee for Peace “uses a unique, triple-bottom-line formula to brew peace for over 800 families in the high-conflict zones of Mindanao and other critical areas in the Philippines.” This recognition confirms that sustainable peace is achievable when livelihood and reconciliation grow together.
Toward a Future of Shared Prosperity
The 2015 N-Peace Award is both a recognition and a challenge. It affirms what Coffee for Peace has accomplished so far—but it also points toward what remains to be done. Joji Pantoja envisions expanding the model across the country, inspiring more social entrepreneurs to adopt inclusive, justice-based approaches to business.
As she shared after receiving the award, “Peace is not a dream—it is a daily choice we make through the way we treat our land, our people, and our shared future.”
Indeed, Coffee for Peace continues to demonstrate that a cup of coffee can do more than wake us up—it can open our hearts and minds to the possibility of peace rooted in justice, inclusion, and love for the creation.
