IWCA Signs MOU with Alliance for Coffee Excellence and Cup of Excellence
Recognizing their mutual interest in the development of programs beneficial to women in all sectors of the coffee industry, the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) has formed a memorandum of understanding with Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) and Cup of Excellence (CoE). The partnerships will focus on empowering women to realize greater financial success while creating paths of opportunity for impact and professional development in the coffee industry. These partnerships will look for ways to build sustainable income for women that will ultimately create healthier coffee communities.
"I am very excited about this partnership between IWCA and ACE/COE which will provide opportunities for our women producers through both training and market access, leading to higher income generation while also providing unique coffees for the consumers," said IWCA Executive Director Dr. Sarada Krishnan.
The first action in the partnership with ACE will involve identifying Cup of Excellence winners that are members of the country IWCA chapter to leverage both organizations in promoting these quality producers to increase their auction premiums. Additionally, the two organizations will work to plan marketing, educational and other promotional activities to increase the awareness about ACE, IWCA and its chapter members. The groups will also partner on mutually beneficial projects and sharing of essential information for growth and development.
The partnership with CoE will focus on promoting competitions, infrastructure transparency and other strategies for rewarding high quality producers from IWCA chapters. The organizations will collaborate on cupping training, educational programs and other relevant projects designed to advance technical skills and sensory education among women in the coffee industry.
Both MOUs will be signed together live by ACE Executive Director, Darrin Daniel, and IWCA Executive Director, Sarada Krishnan, following Darrin’s presentation, “Coffee Auctions as A Marketing Tool,” at IWCA’s online convention.
“This partnership between ACE/COE and IWCA is highly important for the future of our organizations and our ability to recognize our mutual interests in supporting coffee producers, especially fostering and strengthening women in the coffee supply chain. We are thrilled to forge this partnership and look into avenues where we can intersect and explore opportunities in research, technical education and many other ways for our organizations to build stronger relationships, said Executive Director Darrin Daniel.
Utilizing the skill set and experience of Cup of Excellence Co-Founder, Susie Spindler, as a new IWCA Board of Director, the organizations will be able to work fluidly in planning. In addition to identifying projects for empowerment, the groups will look for funding from individuals, corporations, foundations, NGOs, International Development Organizations and Governments.