MILAN – Around the world, women are responsible for up to 90% of the fieldwork of producing coffee – yet on average, they only own 15% of the harvest (International Trade Forum).
In an industry already marked by poverty and hunger, it’s women who often suffer the greatest inequities.
Yet the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) is determined to redress this.
And in their latest initiative, which reaches 22 countries, they’re using US $32,000 of equipment donated by award-winning coffee equipment manufacturer Behmor to teach female producers about quality control.
Many coffee farmers have never even tasted the coffee they labour all day to produce. But this isn’t just a sign of the power imbalance in the coffee supply chain: it’s also a barrier to improving coffee quality and so receiving greater prices.
Without tasting the coffee they are growing, farmers cannot evaluate coffee quality, put feedback from buyers into context, and run experiments with the aims of achieving price premiums.
Behmor is providing 21 different IWCA Chapters, spread across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, two Behmor 1600 Plus Roasters and one Behmor Brazen Plus Coffeemaker each. This equipment will allow coffee producers to roast and taste their coffee.
Bianca Castro, Chapter Manager of the IWCA, states, “Joe Behm (CEO & Founder of Behmor, in the PICTURE above) hopes to bring technology to the coffee producers so that they can learn the cup profile of the coffee they are producing. This has been the heart of his intentions when donating this equipment.” [Translated from Spanish to English.]
The equipment (se PICTURE below) is high-quality, with Specialty Coffee Association certification, yet also easy to use, having been designed for home users and prosumers. Additionally, Behmor is producing video tutorials which will help the IWCA Chapters (as well as Behmor’s regular consumers) to use the equipment for the best results.
Behmor are also paying freight and labour for the equipment delivery, at an additional cost of approximately US $3,000. This makes a total donation value of US $35,000. The donation is part of the company’s Behmor Inspired initiative, which has donated US $160,000 of equipment plus shipping over the past 16 months to coffee associations and cooperatives in producing countries.
About The IWCA
The International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women to achieve gender equality and sustainable lives.
About Behmor
Behmor, Inc. produces affordable, high-quality coffee brewers and roasters for the home user. All products are SCA certified. The US company, which is founded and owned by San Diegan Joe Behm, operates by the principle of “passion for all things coffee.”
3 Things You Didn’t Know About Behmor:
- The Behmor Connected Brewer is the first smart brewer to be certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), a global body.
- The Behmor Connected Brewer can also be voice-activated. Behmor has integrated an Alexa Skill, meaning that users with Amazon Echo or a tablet simply need to say “Alexa, start brewing my coffee” for a great cup of Joe.
- Behmor products win prizes:
The Behmor 1600 Roaster: Best New Product SCAA 2007
The Brazen Brewer: People’s Choice SCAA 2014, Best new Product World Of Coffee (SCAE) 2014, and People’s Choice MICE (Melbourne Int’l Coffee Expo) 2016
The Behmor Connected Brewer: IHA (Int’l Housewares Assoc) Innovation Award Winner 2014, Editor’s Pick Gourmet Retailer 2015
What’s more, in the US Golden Bean, Steve Kear of My Daily Grind won a medal for the coffee he roasted on a Behmor home roaster.
