The main activity of the meeting will be to choose the best coffee grown by women.
For years, the female coffee grower of Cauca has been preparing to contribute, with her own brand, to the development of the coffee industry in all its phases, starting from cultivation and ending with the export of the grain.
Precisely, cuppers, baristas, exporters, researchers and other women who make up the coffee value chain will meet on Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24 to share their experiences and challenges, strengthen their skills in leadership and entrepreneurship, in order to weave a solid network that allows them to continue building their dreams through coffee and coffee growing.
The Cauca Coffee Growers Committee, the Tecnicafé Coffee Innovation Technology Park and the Association of Women Coffee Growers of the Department of Cauca, AMUCC, will join together on the occasion of the First Meeting of women in coffee in Cauca: Between friendsa space in which the work and dedication of women in this economic activity will be recognized, which in the case of Cauca corresponds to 30%.
Luz Aida Cotazo, representative before the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers of Cauca, said that it is a space to connect, claim the role of women in the countryside, promote the participation of young people, men and women, in coffee growing and to assume the challenges around equity at the local, regional and national levels.
The meeting will take place at the Tecnicafé facilities (La Venta, Cajibío), where it is expected to have the participation of more than 300 women, friends, partners and colleagues, Many of them will get to know each other and create ties of brotherhood, they will be able to build business models that strengthen coffee growing ventures.
For his part, Roberto Castrillón Simmonds, Executive Director (e) of the Committee of Coffee Growers of Cauca, stated that this event has institutional support and that it will be the ideal moment to recognize the impact of women in coffee growing, their capacity to propose ideas, carry out projects, mobilize their families and communities.
“We are committed to accompanying women beyond the farm, promoting their participation in municipal and departmental committees and in all activities linked to the world of coffee,” said the manager.
Viviana Narváez, administrative and financial manager, as well as leader of social innovation at Tecnicafé, considers that this meeting will be the first step to build a solidarity network of women, inclusive and collaborative that connects all women, who from different segments of the chain They are committed to strengthening their business models. “This Meeting will allow us to integrate into the international dynamics of women who work for coffee and coffee growing in the world.
For Elizabeth Trujillo, representative of AMUCC, these initiatives must have the inter-institutional support of the region to make visible the work that women have been doing for coffee-growing families.
The best coffee grown by women will be chosen
The contest that will award the best women’s coffee will be one of the main activities of this meeting. It is aimed at promoting and recognizing the quality of coffee produced by women in Cauca. It is expected to have the participation of coffee growers from the different municipalities, who will deliver their coffee, which will be evaluated by a panel of women tasters who will reward the attributes of the coffees, under the protocol of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), selecting the best three coffees that obtain the highest score.
Who can participate?
Women from Cauca who meet some of the following requirements:
Be a coffee producer of the Department and have a coffee certificate
Contest categories:
• Softly washed, you will be able to participate with a sample of coffee from your farm. (1 kilo)
The samples requested to participate in the contest must have the following characteristics:
• Presented on dry parchment
• Sample weight: 1 Kg
• Humidity: from 10% to 11.5%
• Defects of the first group up to 1%
• Drill up to 1%
• Packaged in a ziploc polypropylene bag, properly labeled, containing all information about the sample (Characterization sheet format that will be delivered by Tecnicafé).
