Because It’s the Right Thing to Do, the IWCA

Las Fincas Coffee is now a proud supporter of the IWCA ,International Women’s Coffee Alliance.  We are always looking for coffees that tell that particular story and  that makes your cup of coffee something unique and inspiring.

In our search we came across an amazing coffee from Delas in Brazil that had been grown and cultivated by women.  It was  part of the IWCA movement, which got us to dig a little deeper.  One of our missions is to work with smaller farms or cooperatives that are trying to move their own business forward through innovation and new practices.

The IWCA works with three words. Connect. Empower. Advance. So we immediately felt there was a connection.  We reached out to Kellem Emanuele to see how Las Fincas could get involved.  We are two guys ,that love to roast coffee, with a small business in Montreal. What could we do?  To make an impact it was decided that a percentage of our total coffee sales would go the IWCA, whether or not the coffees were acknowledged by the IWCA.

Without wanting to repeating their website completely, please look at the values they hold.  They are values that need to be applied to all businesses everywhere, including one run but two guys in Montreal.

IWCA Values

1. Respect - Every woman has a unique and valid voice; therefore, the IWCA respects every person and their ideas.

2. Sustainability - The IWCA supports programs that foster harmony of environmental, social and economic impact.

3. Equity - The IWCA supports programs that encourage the equitable allocation of resources in the world.

4. Integrity - Serving women in coffee is the ultimate goal of the IWCA and to further this goal, all decisions are made with honesty and integrity.

5. Collaboration - Communities hold the solutions to their own problems, therefore the best way to impact these communities is through collaboration and partnership.

6. Empowerment - The IWCA supports actions that strengthen women to realize their full potential.

7. Inclusion - The IWCA supports the inclusion of all - men, women, and youth - working together to achieve positive impact through empowered communities.

Please look them up to learn more at  www.womenincoffee.org. 

Along with our 4 blends of espresso coffees and our other single origin coffees we decided to highlight these values by creating a line coffees that reflect the efforts of the IWCA and women in the industry.   We designed cans with women  front and centre.   Each can  will be from a different country and have a unique story of success.  The logo for the IWCA is present on all our packaging. Our latest search has lead us to Burundi for our next adventure.  Please look at Armando’s blog to learn more of the efforts of Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian in Burundi. We should have this  coffee in our warehouse in May.

Sometimes we connect to an idea and get so wrapped up in it that we forget the obvious, to tell people about it.  We always have a small story on the back of each can , but somethings  just need more space. So we are trying make more space for women in coffee by working with the IWCA. 

At Las Fincas Coffee we pay attention to detail so look closely at our designs and see the words  “Connect”  “ Empower” and “Advance” on our new line of coffee highlighting women in the industry.

As always, reach out and tell us your coffee story.

Warren 

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