On International Day of the Girl Child, IWCA honors girls in coffee communities worldwide. Learn how our 36 chapters are supporting the next generation through leadership, education, and empowerment. When girls rise, we all rise.

IWCA Greece member interviewed IWCA Colombia representative at Athens Coffee Days, connecting Greek coffee professionals directly to women coffee farmers' experiences through conversation and cupping session featuring Colombian coffees.

IWCA Greece participated in Athens Coffee Days with a focused conversation on women producers, featuring IWCA Colombia and a guided cupping of coffees from women-led farms. The event offered a meaningful connection between origin, dialogue, and cup.

Celebrate 20 years of IWCA Costa Rica at SINTERCAFÉ 2025! Join the Women in Coffee Breakfast on November 14 featuring keynote speaker Susie Spindler, a silent auction of women-made goods, and a morning of connection and inspiration. Tickets are $60. Email info@sintercafe.com to reserve your spot.

Today at the Congreso EUDR & Data 2025 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Blanca Castro presented on behalf of IWCA Global.

Blanca shared how our network of 36 chapters is advancing equity and inclusion in coffee, ensuring women’s leadership is recognized in the critical conversations around data governance, traceability, and compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

IWCA Global highlights a women-led gathering organized by IWCA Kenya as part of the Caffè Corretto Project. The event brought together partners and women leaders to discuss market access, local value addition, and the role of women and youth in shaping a more inclusive future for Kenyan coffee.

IWCA proudly participated in the XXVI Latin American Coffee Symposium, hosted by PROMECAFE and ISC in El Salvador. Blanca Castro, IWCA Global Executive Director, spoke on a panel highlighting the critical role of women in building inclusive, sustainable coffee value chains. The event gathered industry leaders, producers, and organizations from across the region to discuss innovation, resilience, and the future of Latin American coffee.

Thanks to Caribou Coffee’s 2025 Amy’s Blend campaign, IWCA received a $40,472 donation to support women in coffee. This powerful partnership is helping fund chapter-led projects in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Kenya—advancing gender equity across the coffee value chain.

IWCA Germany members gathered in Hamburg for strategic planning, combining focused discussion with connection-building in one of Europe's historic coffee trading cities—demonstrating how women coffee professionals create infrastructure for gender equity in coffee.

IWCA Vietnam members visit Wecacha Coffee & Tea, where women coffee farmers find their work celebrated through specialty drinks made from Son La Arabica—a shop that understands coffee starts in the highlands.

IWCA Philippines and Commune delivered new coffee drying tables to Benguet, strengthening post-harvest readiness and supporting quality improvement ahead of the upcoming harvest season.

Daniella María Boza Carbonell of IWCA El Salvador is one of only four professionals worldwide to pass the first-ever Specialty Coffee Association Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) Q Grader training. As a trailblazing woman in coffee and proud IWCA member, her achievement marks a historic milestone—advancing recognition, representation, and excellence across the global coffee value chain.

IWCA Greece hosted Colombian author Carlos Ospina and journalist Vasileia Fanarioti for conversation connecting Colombian coffee producers' stories to Greek coffee culture, while presenting preliminary research findings on women in Greek coffee industry.

IWCA Kenya joined UNIDO and FAO’s forum on building an inclusive, sustainable coffee sector—amplifying women’s and youth voices across the value chain.

Blanca Castro Named One of Central America’s Most Powerful Women by Forbes

We are proud to share that IWCA Executive Director Blanca María Castro Gutiérrez was recently named to the Forbes Centroamérica 2025 list of Most Powerful Women and featured in El Economista for her leadership advancing equity in the coffee sector.

Read the full announcement.

A powerful symbol of resilience, collaboration, and women’s empowerment in coffee is now on display at the University of Maryland. Threads of Empowerment, a quilt created by renowned fiber artist Aisha Lumumba using fabric contributions from International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) members around the world, has found a new home in the STAMP Leadership & Community Service-Learning Office. Thanks to the generosity of UMD alum and longtime IWCA supporter Margaret Swallow, this meaningful piece of art will inspire students, faculty, and visitors with the stories of women coffee producers and the global movement behind their success. The quilt was originally created and auctioned as part of IWCA’s global fundraising initiatives. Now, it continues to serve as a visual reminder of what’s possible when women in coffee—and their communities—are supported and celebrated.

At World of Coffee 2025 in Geneva, IWCA Germany members signed the Memorandum of Understanding with IWCA Global, becoming the official German chapter and joining a global network working toward gender equity in coffee across 36 countries.

IWCA Kenya participated at World of Coffee Geneva 2025, where chapter members connected with global leaders, explored innovation and sustainability, and strengthened international collaboration across the coffee sector.

IWCA Vietnam and ABROADER hosted Princeton and Northwestern University students for a cultural coffee exchange at Konnai Coffee Shop, where Vietnamese coffee history met hands-on brewing and stories from women farmers.

IWCA Vietnam partners with IWCA Global at World of Coffee Geneva, bringing women coffee farmers' stories to an international stage where connections and collaboration can reshape the industry's future.