Dr. Cecilia receiving the head judge certificate from the Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries

Dr.Cecilia giving a presentation on re-aligning post coffee harvest handling practices

In the current Kenyan constitution, every committee must consist of a thirty percent of the female gender. This structure has actually empowered women and the coffee sector is not an exception. There are a number of women who already have been steering positions in the industry. They have what it takes to bring about success in issues regarding coffee and surely...this has created a sense of self confidence for the women of Kenya.  

Dr. Cecilia Kathurima, who is the coordinator at the Coffee Research Institute, is dedicated to matters concerning coffee. Dr Cecilia is the Head of the Quality Department and has been actively involved in seeing that coffee issues in Kenya are getting better. She ensures that the quality of coffee produced in Kenya is of high quality and thus specialty coffee. This is through a commitment by training, giving seminars and sensitization programs to farmers. I believe that women have a great role to play in bringing great impact in the world of coffee.

It is always good to be honest and realistic. We have a great potential and in order for us to thrive, we should be more adventurous and brave. What doom women in general is not their actual ability to do well: they are as able as men are…if not, more so. What holds women back is the choice not to try. Let us manage our fears and act on things that really matter, equipping ourselves with virtues will be quite effective. To become more confident, women need to stop thinking so much and just act.

So let us now arise and get work done. Confidently, we shall overcome!

Madame Isabelle Sinamenye, President of Burundi IWCA Chapter inspiring women in the world of coffee

When I started working in the Burundi coffee sector - precisely at Intercafe - Burundi in October 2010 - I met my former teacher: Madame Isabelle Sinamenye, President of Burundi IWCA Chapter and who is now working in the coffee sector as the chief of its laboratory. Madame Sinamenye told me how the involvement of women in certain unit operations, such as the coffee value chain, is known to be large.

Nevertheless, outside of the farm or the sorting rooms, the roles women occupy in the decision-making process are few and far between: 95% of the Burundian population is living in rural areas and depending up on agriculture - 60% of them are women. More than 80% of the Burundi country’s export revenue is coffee.
Since then, I became very touched and inspired to know more of the issues of women in the coffee sector of Burundi and I decided to adhere to the IWCA BURUNDI chapter as a member.

Burundian women have such a small voice in the decision making process because social-cultural circumstances have placed most Burundian women traditionally as having a role of being reproductive as opposed to being productive. Their roles have been culturally established as being subservient to men, and consequently, they are underestimated by men.

But Burundian women can be supported and encouraged to take up leadership positions in the coffee chain value by providing their owner washing stations so that they can follow the entire coffee chain value procedures: from farm or hand sorting room levels to marketing level of their coffee. By encouraging them and increasing their self-esteem, perhaps they can put aside their fears in taking larger roles that have been culturally offered to men.

How can this be done? By building and achieving capabilities for women in male dominated professionals. Extending/ multiplying training programs that favor/tailor for women in coffee and accommodate them is also another important way of giving women more self-confidence in their abilities. And of course, we need to support women in the coffee sector to attend forums/conferences/meetings where coffee issues are discussed and giving them opportunities to network and share experiences.

As for me, I do my best to encourage Burundian women by promoting their participation in the coffee industry as well as by sharing with them my personal experiences as well as other women who are making a difference in the world of coffee. Participating in the IWCA, I am able to help Burundian women promote their participation in the coffee industry since they are indeed a vital role in the coffee value chain.

Paromita (left) honing the skills of  baristas from Kolkata - the heart of the Tea Capital of India.

The city of Kolkata, in the Eastern part of India, is often called the City of Joy. It is also the Tea Capital of India, and all the tea trading for its 1.5 billion tea-drinking population happens out of this city. So it is rare for a coffee story to come out of the heart of the Tea Capital of India.

And it takes extraordinary patience to make something noteworthy happen in the world of coffee in Tea’s heartland. India’s largest café chain introduced the concept of Italian style espressos and cappuccinos to the country about 18 years ago. The coffee value chain in India now exists from coffee plantations in the southern part of India to coffee drinking at cafes all across the country.

It brought to India the appreciation of drinking coffee and a café culture among the youth. This success was possible only when young baristas across the country developed the skill to brew coffee in the way that it was intended, coaxing the aroma from the coffee beans and ensuring that the coffee consumer got a perfect cup of coffee each time.

It takes a very special kind of person who ensures that she nurtures a love for the magnificent coffee bean and is able to guarantee that this is translated into skills to brew a refreshing cup. And this could not have been an overnight success story. It took years of diligence, mentoring and patience from an extraordinary lady, Paromita, to hone the skills of the baristas from the Eastern region. And year after year, the region demonstrates in the annual competition that the best talent in coffee brewing comes from this region!

The quest for intellectual growth and self-improvement is inherent in East India and Paromita feels that this has been instrumental in building the passion for coffee among the baristas of Kolkata.

Love and respect for a Guru is a deep-rooted culture in the East, and particularly in Bengal, which makes it easy for a trainer to witness great results.

In a land of tea connoisseurs it is no mean achievement that a trainer is able to build this passion for brewing the magical CUPPA!

Empathy, and passion from Paromita and her team of  trainers, and an openness to share their knowledge of coffee brewing with their students or “shishyas” as they are called in the Guru-Shishya tradition, is what makes the talent shine through.

The passion for coffee is instrumental in knowledge transfer and the coffee trainers or gurus of this region believe in being a buddy to their shishyas; this is the mantra for effective training. So the next time you are in Kolkata or any part of Eastern India, and are sipping a well-made cup of Joe, you know that an excellent mentor, Paromita, who had the patience to nurture the skills as well as the love for coffee, is behind the delicious cup!