Female Coffee Farmers
This month we have been focusing Female Coffee Farmers as part of International Women’s Day. Here is an insight into women in the coffee industry…
Every year on the 8th March it is International Women’s Day. It is a global day focused on celebrating the achievements of women and bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, violence and abuse against women.
Women are a significant part of the agricultural workforce and are essential in coffee production. We have discovered that women do the majority of the labour on coffee farms, including harvesting and processing. It is estimated that between 20% and 30% of coffee farms are female-operated, and in some countries, women account for up to as much as 70% of the labour in coffee production.
However women still continue to face biases and struggles every day in the coffee industry. For example they have less access to land and technical information. They are also less likely to be involved in the business end of the supply chain things like certifications, trade, marketing, and transportation.
Ketiara Cooperative
Here at Bristol Twenty we are proud to work with a women led cooperative, Ketiara Cooperative. They currently have over 1000 farmer households and more than 70% are women. Ketiara Cooperative is located in Sumatra Aceh Gayo Highland. They have over 25 years of experience in coffee production. Beyond producing and trading premium quality coffee, they celebrate their value to promote women in the coffee business.
Ketiara coffee is grown in the forested mountains surrounding Leuser national park, using shade grown coffee production as a means to protect the local ecosystem. The complexity of the coffee in the cup profile is a proof of care and dedication in growing and post harvest processing. Ketiara is committed to fair trading practices that create shared value among producers, traders, roasters, and consumers. Also, arabica green beans produced by Ketiara farmers are organic and Fairtrade certified.
