FNC and IWCA to host Coffee & Trade Beyond Barriers

The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) and the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) are hosting Coffee & Trade Beyond Barriers in Bogotá, Colombia, this 15 – 17 October. In conjunction with ExpoEspeciales Café de Colombia, Coffee & Trade Beyond Barriers will provide an education and networking platform for coffee industry professionals from around the world. The FNC and IWCA have invited producers, exporters, importers, roasters and baristas, as well as industry analysts and IWCA chapter members, to discuss the issues that impact every level of the coffee chain. “The IWCA represents coffee-growing women from producing countries to empower them, make them visible, get support programs and show the importance of women in the coffee value chain,” said Ana María Lleras, Coordinator of the FNC’s Coffee Growing Women Program, in a statement. The IWCA has called on the international community to help sponsor the trip to Bogota for two women from each of its 18 producing country chapters. The IWCA hopes that through the seminars the coffee growing women can learn new methods to improve the sustainability of their coffee. Lleras said this convention is an opportunity to meet women representing coffee producing countries as well as to show the importance of women in the markets. Ric Rhinehart, Executive Director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), will speak about specialty coffees and the importance of empowering and strengthening coffee growing women. “It will be an enriching dialogue around coffee farming, in which women are the protagonists, by analysing their potential in markets and trade challenges for certain niches,” said Lleras. ExpoEspeciales Café de Colombia attracts a large number of visitors to Bogotá each year.