Where Competition Meets Community: IWCA in Bremen
February 23, 2026 | Bremen, Germany
The German Barista Championships showcase precision, skill, and performance at the highest level of coffee. On February 23, that stage also held a different kind of conversation. Who has access to these spaces. Who is seen. And how that shapes the future of the industry.
Anke Erichsen, representing the International Women’s Coffee Alliance, joined a moderated discussion at the SCA Germany event alongside Katharina Ante and Phil Semelink. The conversation connected IWCA Global’s work with the priorities of the IWCA Germany chapter, bringing a global perspective into a national competition setting.
Why This Matters
Events like the German Barista Championships shape what the industry values. Who competes. Who advances. Who builds a career.
Women represent the majority of the global coffee labor force. They remain underrepresented in the spaces where visibility, recognition, and opportunity are created. Closing that gap strengthens the entire industry. It expands the pipeline of talent, leadership, and innovation.
Bringing IWCA into this space means the conversation reaches the people actively shaping coffee today. Not just supporters. Practitioners.
What IWCA Germany Is Building
IWCA Germany is part of a global network of 36 chapters, each locally led and responding to the realities of its own market.
In Germany, that work focuses on access, visibility, and professional development within a consuming country context. Which means creating pathways for women to participate, compete, and lead.
At the same time, each chapter contributes to a shared system. What is learned in one place strengthens the work everywhere. A shift in Germany supports progress in Uganda, Indonesia, Colombia, and beyond.
Building Forward
IWCA’s presence in Bremen reflects a broader focus in 2026: showing up in the spaces where the industry is actively defining its future.
From global events to the upcoming convention in Bali, IWCA continues to connect people, share knowledge, and strengthen leadership across the coffee value chain.
Bremen was one of those moments. The conversation is continuing.