The Village

When it comes to producing exceptional coffee, it truly takes a village. Women are a tremendously influential part of the global coffee community, making up 70% of the labor in field work and harvesting—detail-oriented roles which ultimately translate to excellence in the cup. However, women face steep challenges when it comes to equitable access to career growth, land, education, and credit, representing just 20-30% of farm ownership.

The Village is a celebration of women in coffee, composed of seasonally-rotating selections from valued relationships with female producers and cooperatives, aimed at highlighting and addressing this gender gap. According to strong research, investing in women increases the sustainability of coffee everywhere—women are more likely to reinvest their income back into their families, their coffee businesses, and their communities. And when access to decision-making and the global marketplace improves for women farmers, quality improves too.

Currently, The Village features a small group of founding members of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) chapter in Burundi. At first sip, the coffee presents the honeyed, ripe, stone-fruit sweetness typical of excellent, clean coffees from East Africa. But the hard work of the women of Turihamwe is increasingly apparent as the cup cools: complex and delicate flavors such as melon, orange blossom, rosewater, and vanilla unfurl and lengthen in the aftertaste.