International Coffee Day, Oct. 1, is a moment to celebrate coffee and the people whose work makes it possible. This year — which is also the International Year of the Woman Farmer — we’re highlighting two efforts that are helping to build a more sustainable future for coffee.
Raise Your Cup for Women Farmers
Through Kindred Sparks, an initiative of the nonprofit Equal Origins, we’re supporting the Raise Your Cup campaign, which celebrates women coffee and cocoa producers, shares their stories in their own words and calls attention to the systemic barriers they face—which can include limited access to banking, markets, trainings, resources and more.
InterAmerican Coffee is participating as a campaign sponsor — and happily nominated a producer to share her story. Each day from Oct. 1 through Oct. 15 (the International Day of Rural Women) the campaign will introduce a different producer. Together, their stories highlight the work of women, their ambitions and their critical contributions to these industries we depend on.
We invite you to follow along, share the stories and help bring more attention to the women behind our daily cups.
Please be especially sure to watch the campaign grid Oct. 6 — when each social share will help to grow our donation!
You can also donate directly to Equal Origins’ work with women farmers or bring the campaign into your café with materials available on the Raise Your Cup website.
Investing in Coffee’s Future Through Research
Supporting producers also means investing in the tools they need to keep growing coffee. That includes coffee trees suited to the conditions on their farms — and the challenges ahead.
World Coffee Research brings the industry together to develop high-quality, climate-resilient coffee varieties. Its work provides farmers with better options for productive and resilient farms while protecting the diverse supply of coffee that we all rely on and value. But the funding needed is substantial: WCR estimates that coffee agricultural research requires an additional $452 million annually to preserve the diversity of coffee origins and equip farmers for the changing climate.
As a founding member of WCR, InterAmerican Coffee has supported its work since 2011. Through the WCR Checkoff Program, our customers can contribute, too: Participating roasters add a small contribution to each pound of green coffee purchased. This generous, low-friction effort helps to fund research that benefits the entire industry.
You can read more here — or ask your trader about joining other industry leaders and becoming a member!
This International Coffee Day, we hope you’ll join us in supporting both efforts — whether by donating, sharing information or inviting your customers and colleagues into the conversation. Each is an important way to care for coffee, the people who grow it and this extraordinary industry we share. •
Photo: Producer Maria Teresa Perez Gomez, who contributes to our Mexico NKG Bloom Los Altos, dries coffee on the roof of her home.
