Iona loves coffee and has been in the industry since 2003. She enjoys wearing many hats and has worked in various roles such as marketing and communications, public relations, to volunteer director & community builder — to being a barista, café manager, freelance communications consultant, and non-profit professional when she moved to Coast Salish Territories (Vancouver, BC). Last year, she took on her most important role, being Mama to baby Portia, her every day miracle and a calm presence in her life. As an immigrant to Canada in 2019, she founded Kapé, a social enterprise partnering with Philippine Indigenous women coffee farmers. Its relationship-based model enables growers to build sustainable livelihoods and earn an equitable income, up to 400% more than in the commodity market. Beyond coffee, Kapé celebrates and represents Filipino heritage and culture by highlighting the stories and friendships with coffee farmers from her homeland, and contributing to the conversation on diaspora and Filipino identity. Believing in the power of meaningful work, Iona has kept a full time non-profit work whilst building her social venture. She is also completing a Social Innovation Certificate program from Simon Fraser University. For SVI Hollyhock, Iona reflects on how her social venture can continue to create positive change for women Indigenous growers and connect global Filipinx communities.