Read Here free: https://open.substack.com/pub/worldofcoffee/p/week-7-the-global-spread-of-coffee?r=1mu79a&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Met some cool peeps today

https://open.substack.com/pub/worldofcoffee/p/week-5-coffeehouses-and-the-birth?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Original Link: https://open.substack.com/pub/worldofcoffee/p/gender-and-equity-in-the-coffee-chain?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web The current wave of specialty coffee is often framed as promoting equity and access as a core value, but what that looks like at each level can vary widely. When examining the production side of coffee, women contribute a significant share of coffee labor, notably in harvesting and post-harvest tasks. However, they are much less likely to control land, income, or decision-making, resulting in higher effort for lower value. Depending on the region, women provide up to 70% of on-farm labor in coffee production, while only around 20–30% of coffee farms are female-operated. Much of this imbalance is perpetuated through long-standing cultural norms and structural barriers, including how land is titled, who is recognized as the “official” farm operator, and who is expected to negotiate with buyers and handle finances. In many contexts, women’s work is visible, but authority and formal recognition attach to whoever holds the land title or the public-facing producer identity, often men. This means women may have limited control over pricing and sales, reduced access to markets and buyers, and less authority even within the farms they help sustain. Gender becomes a gate, reinforced by uneven access to credit, collateral, and decision-making power. And the pattern doesn’t end at origin, it often repeats downstream. Professional advancement pathways, mentorship access, training budgets, travel opportunities, networking, and conference culture all shape who gets seen as an expert, who gets promoted, who is funded, and who gets credited when things go right. Furthermore, safety and dignity across the chain, from farm work to café work, have a direct impact on who can stay in the industry long enough to build influence. Equity includes basic protections and respect, not only representation on panels.

https://open.substack.com/pub/worldofcoffee/p/week-4-yemen-and-the-first-true-coffee?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web