Three New Chapters, One Growing Network: Welcome France, Ghana, and BeNeLux
Coffee moves through more countries, more hands, and more borders than almost any other product in the world. What it doesn't always move through is visibility for the women doing the work.
That's the gap IWCA exists to close. And this year, three new chapters joined the effort. IWCA France, IWCA Ghana, and IWCA BeNeLux signed their Memoranda of Understanding at the IWCA cocktail reception during World of Coffee Brussels, bringing IWCA Global's network to 40 chapters across six continents.
Each chapter is independent. Each one is shaped entirely by the women leading coffee work in that region. What connects them is the same thing that connects all 40: a belief that women in coffee shouldn't have to build their careers, or their voice, alone.
IWCA France: Building Bridges Between Origin and Market
Under President Eka Moncarre, IWCA France is building a national community for women across the country's specialty coffee sector, from Paris to the coffee towns beyond it.
"Coffee connects continents, but too often the people behind it remain disconnected," Moncarre said. "Joining the International Women's Coffee Alliance marks a meaningful step for us in France, a commitment to building real bridges between coffee-producing and coffee-consuming countries."
IWCA Ghana: Turning Passion Into Structure
Ghana's coffee industry is being reimagined, with a new focus on sustainability, quality, and local pride. Women have long been its backbone. IWCA Ghana, under President Emi-Beth Quantson, is making sure they're recognized as its leaders too.
"While women are the backbone of Ghana's coffee value chain, our contributions have often been invisible, our voices underrepresented," Quantson said. "We came together to break down silos and build a unified network, one that turns passion into thriving businesses."
IWCA BeNeLux: Making Women's Work Visible
Ask a coffee roaster if anything in their lineup was produced by a woman, and you'll often get a shrug. IWCA BeNeLux, led by Chair Bregje Deben, wants that question to stop needing to be asked.
"I hope the day will come when it's simply normal for coffee ranges to include women producers," Deben said, "not because it's an exception, but because their work is visible, valued, and recognized."
A Network Built on Connection
"Women need to come together and organize. That's clear to me, and 40 chapters across six continents prove it," said Blanca Castro, Executive Director of IWCA Global. "Each one started small, but together as a network we become strong, and that connection, unity, and strength is the point."
To see the full reach of the network these chapters just joined, read IWCA Global's 2025 Annual Report .