One of the major challenges of the 21st Century is to recognise the value of female farmers in our supply chains and to work on greater gender equality. Women should have the same access to choices, income and training as men.

Smallholders, not estates, produce most of the world’s coffee and some of the best too. Yet despite women often doing most of the work on the farm they can have little influence. Evidence shows that where women control household income the family’s health, nutrition and education improves at a faster rate because less money is spent outside the household.

In 2011, with our partner Twin Trading, we developed our range of Grown by Women coffees. These coffees are sourced directly from the female members of the co-operatives and are fully traceable. Back then we pondered for a long time on what to call this range of coffees. Women’s coffee didn’t quite sound right. So we decided on Coffee Grown by Women.

The driver behind this range was two-fold. Firstly we wanted to make the invisible visible. Coffee drinkers have been unaware for decades of the level of work done by women farmers to bring us our daily cup of coffee. In our quest to bring farmers and consumers closer together we think this is an important story to tell. Secondly, we wanted to make a difference on the ground and promote gender justice. Despite doing up to 70% of work on the family farm in many cases, it is still mainly men that are members of the co-operatives, receive training and, crucially, receive payment for the green coffee beans. Women have been shut out of the decision making process in the household and the co-operative.  We wanted to work with co-operatives to develop gender policies and to find ways to enable women to become members in their own right. This can be harder than it sounds. In some regions women can find it hard, if not impossible, to legally own land. They also still carry the responsibility for the bulk of the work involved in running the household, preparing meals and with child care so getting to training sessions and attending meetings can be difficult for them with no-one willing or able to pick up the slack at home.

Building an individual’s self-confidence and changing an embedded culture can be a long and slow process. What is key is that these issues were brought to the fore by the coffee co-operatives themselves. This isn’t a western ideal that is being thrust upon unwilling people. Communities realised that although Fair Trade and other wider developments can bring benefits, women are being left behind.

By choosing to buy this coffee you are helping women, their families and wider communities in a very real way.

 

Alejandra from Anei (Colombia)

 

"I am such a different person now to who I was before. I didn’t like to speak before and would always run away. I’d feel too shy to talk and would want to disappear. There are a lot of women who are too scared to become organised and go to meetings, these are the people who still need our help. This is why I will continue to work for our visibility and value"

Norma, coffee farmer from Nicaragua (Soppexca)

"During the coffee harvest, we women work really hard. We have to pick, carry, pulp, ferment, sort, wash and dry the coffee.  Despite all this hard work we love our jobs and the benefits they bring.  I am a Board member of Gumutindo Co-operative and this responsibility means a lot to me. I have grown in confidence and I am proud to represent the co-operative and my community."

Justine Watalunga, Uganda