WiTCC: Inspiring and Empowering Women

I know we have had a lot of coverage surrounding our Women in Tea & Coffee Conference the past couple of weeks and I do not mean to belabour the point, but as it is a young event, one we are proud of, and one we would like to continue to grow, I am going to write about it again.

We developed the Women in Tea & Coffee Conference to celebrate, inspire, support, and empower women. The 2nd Women in Tea and Coffee Conference took place on 6 May at The View in London and expanded the focus to include women in producing countries, both farmers and farm workers more prominently (the inaugural event focused on more women working in manufacturing/consuming countries). This year’s event tied in with the United Nations General Assembly-designated theme for 2026: the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF). According to the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation, agrifood systems are a more important source of livelihood for women than for men in many countries.

Our keynote speaker, Dr Erika Valério, senior gender and agrifood systems expert at the UN FAO, shared the main objectives with designating this year the IYWF, which include raising awareness, highlighting actions that can help close the gender gap, and guiding and channel policymaking, programming, and increased investment. Dr Valério stressed that closing the gender gap is not just about justice, it is about economic reform. “Closing the gender gap in farm productivity and wages would yield large global benefits,” she said.

Dr Valério’s presentation led perfectly into our first panel session, Women’s Evolving Roles in Tea & Coffee Agribusiness, which spotlighted the growth of women holding positions within agribusiness throughout the supply chain, and the positive impact they are having. Lucy George, CEO of Petersons Tea Farm in Wales, pointed out that even in Europe there is a huge disparity with land ownership — it is still male dominated. “Women have a huge role to play in supporting and empowering other women.”

Michele Arias, sustainability manager at UNEX Guatemala, explained that because of mass migration in Central America – by men – there are more women working in the fields, but they do not have the proper training because they were not afforded the opportunity. However, she noted that “we are starting to see women in indigenous communities stepping up and moving from being contributors to being leaders,” adding that “women want opportunities and once a woman receives an opportunity, everything changes.”

Our tea keynote speaker, Zahra Afshar, head of legal, human rights, and sustainability at Ahmad Tea, and our coffee keynote speaker, Kathrine Löfberg, chair of Löfbergs, but discussed the importance of giving women opportunities and the positive changes that occur when women are given opportunities, at origin as well as on the manufacturing/consuming side.

As Frances Musgrave, tea sourcing manager at Finlays, and one of the Agribusiness panellists, explained, “social norms and culture are part of the biggest barriers — it takes a village, but it takes time. Cultural enhancements go hand-in-hand with a strong economy.”

Panellists in the Careers in Tea & Coffee and the Why Women Are Pivotal to the Future of Tea & Coffee sessions further highlighted the importance of supporting women and offering them opportunities, and the positive effects these have on not just the women, but their families and communities.

At the end of the day and in post-event evaluation forms, speakers, panellists, and attendees all shared the same sentiment — they felt inspired and empowered.

I would like to once again thank our keynote speakers and panellists for their time and insight, and of course, the attendees for coming and for their active participation.

Planning is already underway for the 2027 Women in Tea & Coffee Conference so please stay tuned as the date and location will be announced soon.

• Vanessa L Facenda is the editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, and can be reached at: [email protected].