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July 18, 2019

Devoción Introduces the World’s First All-Female Coffee

By:Kelly Lewis

Latte art | © Pixabay
Latte art | © Pixabay

New York City’s Devoción has recently introduced the first brand of Colombian coffee to be made and produced entirely by women. The Mothers in Coffee project, launched by Devoción in Spring 2019, features sustainably farmed and roasted coffee produced exclusively by women.

Women contribute significantly to the coffee industry. According to a gender equality study by the International Coffee Organization (ICO), between 20 and 30 percent of coffee farms today are operated by women, while an estimated 70 percent of labor in the coffee industry is performed by women. Despite women’s clear impact on coffee production, ICO’s report shows a clear gender disparity in the coffee industry today.

Courtesy of Devoción
Courtesy of Devoción

Compared to male-run coffee farms, female-run coffee farms are found to have less access to land, inputs, finances, and education. This lack of resources contributes to a widespread gender gap in the coffee industry, which accounts for the main economy in many tropical countries and a primary source of income in over 25 million rural homes.

Enter Devoción and their efforts to level the playing field by introducing a coffee brand—Mothers in Coffee—produced entirely by women. Harvested in the central region of Colombia, Mothers in Coffee has notes of fig, plum, milk chocolate, and orange zest. Beyond its rich flavors, Mothers in Coffee spotlights Colombian coffee producer, Martha Obando, who is the head of her family and director of the Women Coffee Producers Association.

“Most of the coffee farmers in Colombia are men,” explains Alexandria Dancy, Director of Education for Devoción. “Devoción had this idea to find and work with women producers, to encourage more people in Colombia to go towards coffee farming, which is a huge part of Colombia’s income.”

Courtesy of Devoción
Courtesy of Devoción

According to World Top Exports, Colombia exported $2.3 billion worth of coffee in 2018 and came in 5th as the world’s leading coffee exporter. Having Colombian women become a more prominent and celebrated force within the coffee industry introduces the chance for more revenue and stability.

Devoción works with Obando to highlight her work as a female coffee producer in hopes of closing the gender gap in the coffee industry and celebrating female coffee producers.

Bags of Colombian coffee | © Pixabay
Bags of Colombian coffee | © Pixabay

“Martha’s achievements in coffee are remarkable and we are very proud to showcase her hard work and the incredible beans that result,” writes the Devoción team on their website. “After Martha harvests the beans, an all-female Devoción team will oversee the dry milling, quality control and roasting processes.”

At their Williamsburg location in Brooklyn, Devoción proudly sells Mothers in Coffee with each bag displaying photos of the women involved in the coffee’s production process. Although there is much to be done before we can close the gender gap in the coffee industry—and all industries, quite frankly—fair trade companies like Devoción help set the precedent for a more equal and inclusive future.

3 Comments

About Kelly Lewis

An entrepreneur at heart, Kelly Lewis is the Co-Founder of Unearth Women. Kelly is also the Founder of Go! Girl Guides, the founder of the annual Women’s Travel Fest—a sold-out consumer travel event for women who love to travel—and Damesly, a tour company for professional and creative women.

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Comments

  1. Sheila Ostrow says

    July 24, 2019 at 11:56 am

    So inspiring. Where I work we have a class in coffee roasting.
    Does devotion mail order coffee?
    Also i would like to bring this information to my class. Is it possible to get more info from mothers in Coffee?
    Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Sheila Ostrow says

    July 25, 2019 at 11:44 am

    Very inspiring and inspired. I take a coffee roasting class organized by my union.
    Is it possible to purchase the beans through the mail?

    Reply

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