Learning To Share in Mexico
Image by Sol Sphinx. @sol.sphinx
At the start of October, I had the great privilege of attending the Women Powered Coffee Summit (WPCS). The event was organized by Bean Voyage: a non-profit organization with the mission to support women coffee farmers. The summit took place over the course of 4 days in the quaint city of San Cristobal de las Casas in the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico.
Off the bat, this gathering was unlike any other coffee event I have ever attended, mainly since the majority of attendees were coffee producers. It was their voices and experiences that were centered. As a coffee roaster in a coffee-consuming country, we often see a different dynamic when visiting coffee-producing origins. It was refreshing to see programming intended for this audience with Spanish as the primary language (and interpretations into Indigenous Tzeltal and Tsotzil!). We were encouraged to set our intentions of listening and sharing.
The first day included visits to coffee growing communities and farms while the second and third days were spent in a gorgeous rotunda listening to panels and individual stories or getting hands-on in educational workshops.
Photo by Iva Alvarado Quiros. @ivacaminando
I was asked to participate in the Ideas Marketplace where I would brew and share Favor Coffee. I was nervous but excited to showcase our Indian Ratnagiri and Ugandan Masha Kween as they each have very distinct and interesting stories. The reception was most heartening and I only wish I had brought small bags to give away samples!
Throughout the programming and events, it became apparent how the intentions set at the start of the summit shaped the conversations and connections. In meeting new people, it felt as though we already had a great deal in common and were continuing a long lasting friendship and that we were traveling in adjacent, parallel lanes. I met peers with goals and visions for how they hope to forge new models in the coffee industry and to depart from paradigms that no longer– or never– served us.
I heard stories of resilience and vulnerability. I witnessed joy. I listened to struggles. I was compelled by the strength that so many women demonstrated despite those very struggles.
Image by Sol Sphinx. @sol.sphinx
I left San Cristobal with a renewed commitment to pursuing gender equity in the coffee supply chain. I come back to New York feeling empowered to convey the stories and efforts that moved me. I feel emboldened to continue examining power dynamics in our industry.
This event may have ruined other coffee events for me because it gave me so much. In fact, I added a new word to my Spanish vocabulary: compartir - meaning to share.
I’m already looking forward to the next WPCS yet feel honed in doing my best work until then.