Women in the coffee industry

From pickers and growers to baristas and roasters. Women are involved in all stages of the coffee supply chain. Their role is indispensable, yet they still face challenges and inequalities that hinder their potential, well-being and development. What are the biggest challenges facing women in the coffee industry? And how do we at La Bohème Café try to support these coffee heroines?

Unfortunately, there is still a gender information gap, we do not have enough data and it is difficult to find supporting facts.

Women are heavily involved in field work, harvesting and sorting, the manual labor necessary for coffee production. They are less represented in trade and export. They have no decision-making powers and thus function purely as plantation workers. The reason for these facts is that land ownership is historically, culturally and legally much more accessible to men than to women. And men usually have a larger share of the profit. But women carry a "double burden" because, in addition to working on the farm, they have the responsibility of raising children and taking care of the household.

Unfortunately, there is still a gender information gap, we do not have enough data and it is difficult to find supporting facts. When evaluating any data, we must take into account, for example, the fact that women's work, sexual discrimination and harassment are often under-reported.

However, this does not mean that we should ignore the problem.

That's why at La Bohème Café we always look at factors such as fair conditions for everyone on the farm.

We present to you coffee heroines who inspire and motivate us.

Jacqueline Sabina Morales de Ovalle

Jacqueline is the head of the quality control department in the family company of our long-term partner and her husband Renardo Ovalle, who is one of the most famous Guatemalan producers. Jacqueline is known primarily for her refined sensory skills as a certified Q-Grader, which play a large role in defining the profiles and characteristics of each coffee from their farms. Her skills are therefore an integral part of their production. Several lots were also named after her in honor of her passion for coffee and expertise.

*Charles cupping with Jacqueline in Guatemala

Super mujeres

At La Bohème Café, we have always been passionate about supporting various events and being able to participate in the Super Mujeres - Nicaragua Specialty Private Collection Auction 2022 was a great opportunity to support women in the local coffee industry. The aim of the auction is to emphasize that women producers are real super women who participate not only in improving the quality of coffee, but also contribute to building a society where women and men are equal even beyond the boundaries of the coffee industry. And thanks to the fact that we became one of the Global Coffee centers during the COVID-19 pandemic , we can judge competitions in which coffee and these producers participated right in our laboratory in Prague. And of course, our superwomen from La Bohème Café took care of that!

We also had the opportunity to speak to two of the growers about the issues and challenges they face and congratulate them on the high ratings for their coffees. We were taken aback when the 3rd place winner told us how she had to work in the plantations until she was 8 months pregnant because her husband had serious health problems at the time.

That's what we call determination!

You can find the whole interview on our Instagram.

Producers from Bolivia

After many years of neglect, strong competition from cash crops and a lack of infrastructure, Bolivia's coffee scene is experiencing, in a sense, a renaissance. In the big cities, more cafes began to appear with selected coffee grown and roasted directly in Bolivia, and farmers began to pay more attention to quality and discover their potential.

The story of farmer Filomena Mamani , like the story of most female coffee producers, tells of admirable determination and courage. Filomena Mamani started growing coffee with her family 15 years ago and thanks to the excellent farm management resulting from their experience, the coffee deservedly placed 6th with a cupping score of 88.70 points in the 2021 Presidential Competition in Bolivia.

Another amazing producer is Juana Mamani ( yes, Mamani is a very common surname in Bolivia ). Her farm is renowned throughout the region for its coffee growing practices that influence the production of premium coffee in the community. Juana belongs to the first generation of coffee farmers and bought her six-hectare farm in San Ignacio when she was only 16 years old. Before that, she worked on another farm, which was enough for her to save enough money to buy her own land. At the age of 23 , she won second place in Bolivia at the 2007 Cup of Excellence with a score of 90.78 . This result speaks for itself!

Women at La Bohème Café

And of course, we can't forget our roaster girls who make sure the coffee is roasted to the best of its ability and that your packages are ready to ship in time!