Women in Coffee

The coffee industry is vital to global economic growth and development, with women throughout the world playing a significant part in every aspect. Women contribute to the coffee sector at all levels of the global coffee value chain from farm to cup, with female producers having a huge impact on coffee cultivation, bringing both economic and social improvements to their communities.This journal entry focuses on the imbalances that women coffee pickers and producers face in the countries where coffee is a main export.

The importance of gender equality in regards to Global Development

Gender equality and human development are positively correlated with the world bank stating ‘Women’s leadership enhances long-term economic, environmental, and social outcomes, and strengthens institutions.’ With this in mind the same importance can be applied to the coffee sector. The more we nurture and develop women's involvement within coffee, all the way from production to cup, we can ensure the development and maintenance of growth within the industry and the developing world.

When it comes to coffee production, there is a very clear gender gap between the opportunities given to men and to women, despite women making up a significant proportion of the agricultural workforce. Up to 70% of labour in coffee production is provided by women, depending on the region and between 20% and 30% of coffee farms are operated by women, therefore around 5 million of the estimated 25 million coffee producers worldwide are female.

So why, if women are crucial to coffee production, are they so underrepresented in roles of ownership and leadership?

Simply put, men have a greater ability to make effective choices and transform these decisions into their own outcomes. Obviously these freedoms change from country to country, with The Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) in 2014 stating that credit is the most important constraint in East Africa, while workload has a dominant influence in West Africa. But globally, women in the countries where coffee is an export, tend to have less control over things such as:

- The access to resources
- The ability to move freely
- Decision making over family formation
- Freedom from the risk of violence
- Ability to have a voice in society and influence policy

We often have the view that women who are involved in coffee production have chosen this path for themselves, that they have decided to follow that career, and although this may be the case for a proportion of women it is not always that clean cut. In rural areas, women may head a household in the case of a male family member being missing, either temporarily due to migration or permanently due to divorce or death. These reasons apply to nearly 5-30% of female coffee growing households.

Catarina Ramirez Mendez, owner of Finca Gomez in Huehuetenango, Guatemala and a coffee producer we have sourced from this year, spoke to our Head of Coffee Sam, about her experiences when he visited this year. She explained the history of the farm, and about how her husband moved to the USA so he could earn money which he would send back to help start the farm, a sacrifice that is just unimaginable to us from both parts. This visit drastically changed our perspective on female producers in growing regions, as we learned to a large extent that women farm coffee out of necessity, not out of choice.
Without the input of female coffee growers, the industry could miss out on valuable innovations and expertise that are needed to ensure high-quality coffee production. Their dedication, hard work, and experience in coffee cultivation contribute to the industry’s growth and success. A woman's contribution to the coffee supply chain is in no way inferior to male contributions.

Looking to the future

At Yallah we want to push for increased gender equality at every stage of the supply chain. It is crucial to recognize, nurture and promote the essential role played by female coffee growers in ensuring quality coffee production and economic growth. Women producers should receive support and resources equal to their male counterparts, paving the way for a sustainable and equitable future in the coffee industry.
By purchasing coffee from female-led cooperatives, roasteries like us as well as consumers, can aid in the advancement of women in the coffee cultivation sector.

On our sourcing trip visit to Guatemala earlier this year we had the opportunity to meet female producers in Huehuetenango, particularly the JOVEMCAFE group, lead by Paula Perez, a young agronomist in training. They have contributed to the production of our newest Trust coffee - Primavera Sisterhood. The group have benefitted from the Chain Collaboratives community-led development incubator program which provided resources for the building of a hen house in order to raise 300 egg laying chickens which would be sold to neighboring towns, generating a secondary income. It is projects like these and the continued purchasing of women grown coffees that are so vital in pursuing gender equality within the coffee supply chain, something we are committed to in how and where we source our coffee and who from.

​​Thankfully, there are now many initiatives similar to this one that are underway to promote gender equality in coffee production such as training in microfinance, networking and mentorship opportunities, technical assistance and more. By providing women with these resources, they are better able to participate in coffee production and benefit from the resulting financial rewards. In addition, these initiatives can help to empower women and raise awareness of the important contributions they make to the coffee sector.

OUR COFFEES

The Yallah coffee buying standards are a set of guidelines crafted by our roastery team to ensure that all Yallah coffee is sourced in alignment with our values, and supporting female producers is part of that.

Here are some of our coffees that are produced by women.

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OUR PACKAGING

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