STiR coffee and tea magazine

38 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 2, 2018 (April / May) C By Kelly Stein reative ways to change power structures and promote women in coffee are bloom- ing in different countries. Non-profit or- ganizations, global institutions, and private proj- ects are making the difference in both rural and urban areas and need special attention this year. Discussions regarding gender equity are un- comfortable subjects for many players in the coffee industry, especially because they don't un- derstand what it really means and its importance. Even the concept of gender, which is not only re- lated to women, is not clear for the majority. It is beyond male and female and the LGBT commu- nity must be included in this debate. This article, though, will focus on women's perspectives. Skilled women are working in every segment in the coffee industry, but the reality from seed to cup can change drastically for rural and urban professionals. Stories of violence, assaults, and lack of leadership might be a common denomi- nator, but their nuances change. Looking with farms and production lenses, rural women are among the most vulnerable. According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Na- tions (FAO)'s report published in 2016: "Every gender and development indicator for which data are available reveals that rural women fare worse than rural men and urban women, and that they disproportionately experience poverty, exclusion, and the effects of climate change." Issues related to labor legislation, work safety, and fair payment for both men and women were mentioned and questioned mainly for the rural re- alities in the last 10 years. The International Wom- en in Coffee Alliance (IWCA) was born in this A Surge of Global Initiatives Promote Gender Equity AnaCafé www.anacafe.org UN Women www.unwomen.org/en FAO www.fao.org/gender/en/ Barista Connect http://baristaconnect.com/ Shes The Roaster www.shestheroaster.org/ Fair Trade www.fairtrade.org.uk European Commission https://ec.europa.eu African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) https://afca.coffee Australian Specialty Coffee Association https://australianspecialty- coffee.com.au context and it is making history helping women in producing countries to raise their voice. "Nowa- days, we are organized in 22 chapters in producing and consuming countries," says the IWCA's chap- ter manager, Blanca Castro. Created in 2003, the non-profit organization started connecting rural and urban women in cof- fee in Nicaragua. Coffee industry veterans Kim- berly Eason, Karen Cebreros, and Colleen Crosby started to process and trade coffee with small pro- ducers of Unión de Cooperativas Agropecuarias Soppexcca. From this date on, they never stopped. Debates, workshops, training, and lectures related to education, financial empowerment, and better opportunities for women produced new perspec- tives in the farms. The agricultural farming con- cept is changing and slowly women are taking part in the business of making decisions as well. It took a while to watch the same attitude mi- grate to urban centers. It started a few years ago with shy gatherings and angry speeches, but it all changed in 2017. Last year was remarkable for those who fight for gender equity in any niche and a new era started with #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. They encouraged women to start an urgent debate about sexual harassment, assaults, and physical and emotional abuse in several sec- tors and markets. And it didn't take long for these issues to reach the coffee industry. Questions about power and leadership in dif- ferent segments gathered men and women to re- think the structure. Why do women baristas have a poor performance in championships? Where are the women in high positions in coffee companies? Why don't women in producing countries receive the same training that men receive? Earth's Choice Karen Cebreros, founder and president of Earth's Choice (Women of Coffee Micro-Finance Fund) says that "97% of women pay back their micro- finance loans no matter what country or social strata. When you put money in women's hands, it is paid back." Cebreros, who is a co-founder of the Interna- tional Womens Coffee Association (IWCA) found- ed Earth's Choice 1994 when she was involved in the coffee industry in Africa, Indonesia, Central America, and South America. Until 2010, her com- pany imported organic coffee grown by women farmers. According to her, the "fair trade coffee program" didn't lead to less poverty for women workers and the idea of a microloan program would help these women to grow. The goal of empowering women with entre- preneurial pursuits leads to a more secure family life including education, offers better access to health care, and lifts up the local community. In- spired by the successful Grameen Bank model in

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