Women in Tea & Coffee provided an ideal setting to learn, share, and network
Image: Hannah Walsh
The inaugural Women in Tea & Coffee Conference took place in London on 2 May at The View and drew speakers and attendees from around the world: Germany, Kenya, Netherlands, Sweden, the United States, and of course, the United Kingdom.
The one-day conference – T&CTJ’s first branded event – was designed to offer women a chance to learn more about opportunities in the coffee and tea industries on the manufacturing/processing side from women currently in key positions with coffee and tea brands, allied service companies, as well as coffee and tea associations/organizations.
The Women in Tea & Coffee Conference aimed to advance women’s careers within both industries through knowledge and networking opportunities in an intimate, collaborative setting so those women just entering the workforce who may be interested in pursuing a career in either industry or perhaps those women looking to ‘make a change’ could both ascertain how to navigate the best career path from women who have been there and done that – or are doing that! That is, the WiTC Conference was for women to learn from, elevate, and support women — and I believe the event accomplished that goal.
The keynote speakers, Vanúsia Nogueira, executive director of the International Coffee Organization – the first woman to hold that position – and Rona Tison, executive advisor and tea ambassador of ITO EN North America, both shared truly personal accounts of their career paths and the challenges they faced as women in many of the roles leading up to their current positions. The women on the Careers in Tea & Coffee panel – Katrina Farmer, European category manager, Clipper Tea; Sian Edwards, director of strategy and insights, Finlays; Suzanne Giele, head of social impact, LIPTON Tea & Infusions, Ana Wilkes, head of coffee research, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe; and Mollie Harvey, coffee apprentice, Lincoln & York who is studying for Q grader exams – also shared their personal journeys and experiences en route to their current positions.
The attendees conveyed how they enjoyed the ‘personal’ stories of the keynote presentations and Careers’ session panellists. “We never hear such personal stories in conference presentations, it was wonderful and refreshing,” shared one attendee.
The session with members of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance – global board member, Anke Erichsen and Getrude Alworah, senior research scientist, Kenya Coffee Research Institute, and an IWCA chapter member – and the newly formed International Alliance for Women in Tea, and its founders – Dr Sharon Hall, chief executive of the UK Tea & Infusions Association and Shabnam Weber, president of the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada, discussed the work both organizations do at origin with female producers and workers, and why this work is so important for women and for the sustainability and viability of both industries.
Ms Alworah explained how female coffee producers work 12-16 hour days with their days beginning before their children awaken with tasks such as milking cows and then getting the children ready for school, working on the farm all day, and then rushing home to meet the children after school and then prepare dinner. She said the IWCA helps female coffee producers gain access to education, skills training, and healthcare by “bringing these experiences to them,” otherwise, they would not have these opportunities because of having to take care of their children and their households outside of their farmwork.
The IAWT was formed only in 2024 but is already making an impact at origin. Dr Hall and Ms Weber shared how their first event was a webinar focused on women’s health in rural areas, which featured a gynecologist from India, who discussed the challenges women face there. By then end of the webinar, one tea company purchased 100 menstrual cups for women in Malawi, which may seem small, but “is lifesaving for these girls and women,” said Ms Weber.
The sustainability panel, which featured: Vanúsia Nogueira, executive director of the International Coffee Organization; Dr Sharon Hall, chief executive of the UK Tea & Infusions Association; Shabnam Weber, president of the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada, Elizabeth Langdon, vice chair of the British Coffee Association, Delira Celik, partnerships and communications manager, 4C; and Keely Wade, marketing manager, Lincoln & York; touched upon the three pillars of sustainability while highlighting the integral roles women play from origin through the supply chain.
I would like to once again thank our sponsors Lincoln & York and Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, as well as our supporters: the International Coffee Organisation, the International Alliance for Woman in Tea, the International Women’s Coffee Alliance, the UK Tea & Infusions Association, the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada, and the European Specialty Tea Association.
It may have been small, but it was a successful first conference and one we plan to build upon. Dates for the second Women in Tea & Coffee Conference will be announced soon so please ‘stay tuned’!
