From Barcelona to the National Stage: How IWCA Spain Built a Pipeline — and Monserrat Cornet Walked Through It
Why Women Baristas in Spain Were Missing from the Competition Stage
Most gender equity programs face a false choice: build infrastructure or advance individuals. IWCA Spain chose both, and Monserrat "Monse" Cornet's journey from Buenos Aires to the finals of the SCA Spain National Barista Championship shows exactly what happens when you do.
When Diana Maria Ayala and Chantal Demonty founded IWCA Spain, their market research surfaced a stark reality: fewer than 5% of competitors in Spain's national barista championships were women, despite women comprising 54% of the country's coffee workforce. The talent was there. The access wasn't.
So IWCA Spain built Espréssate, the first women's barista championship in Spain, not just to crown a winner, but to create a pipeline. The name itself honors the collaboration: it pays tribute to a similar championship already running successfully through IWCA Peru, a nod to the cross-chapter knowledge-sharing that makes this network function.
How IWCA Spain Built a Women's Coffee Training and Competition Program
Espréssate was designed from the ground up for accessibility and impact. In October 2025, IWCA Spain opened a three-session training program to all 29 registered participants, regardless of whether they would compete. Sessions covered SCA rules and judging criteria with Gloria Pedroza, an International Certified Judge; presentation design and storytelling with Elisabet Sereno, another International Certified Judge; and competition preparation with Sara Solanas, a multi-champion barista, and Mariza Baque, entrepreneur, mentor, and national judge.
The coffee itself told the network's story. In a blind cupping session, Ombú Bcn Tostadores, an IWCA Spain chapter member, presented options sourced from IWCA-associated producers across origin countries. The selected coffee was a washed lot with 48-hour anaerobic fermentation, grown by Ana Donneys, President of IWCA Colombia, from Circasia, Quindío. It was roasted by Chantal Demonty, Vice President of IWCA Spain. From Colombian farm to Barcelona competition stage, every hand in that journey belonged to a woman in the IWCA network.
Ten women advanced to competition. Nine competed on November 6-7, 2025, judged by an international panel of twelve. Monserrat Cornet won.
The Door That Needed Opening: The Grant Fund That Removes Financial Barriers for Women in Coffee
Winning Espréssate earned Monse a spot in the SCA Spain National Barista Championship—but not the funding to get there. IWCA Spain secured partial funding and reached out to IWCA Global to close the gap. Monse became the first recipient of the Women in Coffee Access and Training Grant Fund, a global initiative designed to remove the financial barriers that keep talented women off competition stages.
Monse put in the months of preparation, the training, the long days, and the dedication to show up and compete at the highest level. IWCA Spain built the platform that gave her a stage. The grant cleared the last barrier standing between her talent and that national stage.
One Woman Barista. One National Stage. A Historic Moment for Gender Equity in Coffee
In February 2026, Monse walked into CoffeeFest Madrid and the SCA Spain National Barista Championship as the only woman in the finals. She delivered a standout presentation, advanced to the second round, and placed 6th in the country.
She described the experience in her own words: "Es un éxito todo lo que se hace de corazón, con intención, atención y determinación." Everything done with heart, intention, attention, and determination is a success.
Her family flew from Argentina to watch. Her coach gave everything. Her team at Amauta Coffee Roasters rearranged her schedule so she could train. An entire community showed up — because one chapter built a platform that made showing up possible.
The IWCA Chapter Model: How Local Programs Create Industry-Wide Change
Espréssate was not a one-time event. It was proof of concept.
IWCA Spain identified the gap, designed the training, secured the venue, built the judges panel, sourced the coffee through the network, and created the conditions for Monse to succeed. IWCA Global provided the institutional partnership with SCA Spain that guaranteed the Espréssate champion an official position in the national championshipand the Grant Fund closed the final financial gap when chapter resources ran short.
This is the model: chapter builds the platform, network provides the bridge, Grant Fund opens the door. Individual opportunity becomes chapter strength. Chapter strength becomes sector-wide change.
The fact that Monse was the only woman in those finals is not a footnote. It is the point. It shows how much ground remains — and exactly why initiatives like Espréssate and the Grant Fund exist.
How IWCA Global Supports Women Coffee Professionals Through Chapter-Led Programs
Twenty-nine women trained. Ten competed. Four reached the finals. One placed 6th in Spain. And behind every one of them stood an entire chapter that built the platform, sourced the coffee through the network, recruited the judges, opened the doors — and proved the model works.
This is how IWCA Global functions — not as a direct service provider, but as the infrastructure that makes chapter-led work possible at scale. The Grant Fund didn't replace IWCA Spain's leadership. It amplified it.
Espréssate will run again. The foundation has been laid. The next champion is already training somewhere in the network, waiting for the door of opportunity to open.
You can help open that door.
The Women in Coffee Access and Training Grant Fund is currently accepting applications from IWCA Chapters who are ready for their next step. apply here.
If you want to be the reason the next door opens, contribute to the Grant Fund here.