Felicitas “Joji” Bautista Pantoja, President and CEO of the Coffee for Peace Incorporated, is the first Filipino to receive the award that aims to support, inspire, and recognize global business leaders who are positively changing the face of business.
“Ms. Pantoja demonstrates the significant impact that business can have when used as a vehicle for peace,” the Business for Peace Foundation in Oslo said in its citation. Coffee for Peace Inc., a company established in 2008, has employed around 880 coffee farmers with various migrant and indigenous backgrounds. Through Pantoja’s leadership, Coffee for Peace, Inc. has not only provided sustainable livelihood to indigent communities but also ushered in dialogue and reconciliation among previously conflicting migrant and indigenous groups in Davao and other parts of Mindanao.