The Village
When it comes to producing exceptional coffee, it truly takes a village. Women are a tremendously influential part of the global coffee community, making up 70% of the labor in field work and harvesting—detail-oriented roles which ultimately translate to excellence in the cup. However, women face steep challenges when it comes to equitable access to career growth, land, education, and credit, representing just 20-30% of farm ownership.
The Village is a celebration of women in coffee, composed of seasonally-rotating selections from valued relationships with female producers and cooperatives, aimed at highlighting and addressing this gender gap. According to strong research, investing in women increases the sustainability of coffee everywhere—women are more likely to reinvest their income back into their families, their coffee businesses, and their communities. And when access to decision-making and the
Currently, The Village features the Ejo Heza Women, Kopakama Cooperative.
This is the seventh year we have purchased coffee from Artisan Coffee Imports, and for almost as many years we have purchased very special micro-lots from the all-women group Ejo Heza. Their name, which means “Bright Tomorrow” in Kinyarwanda, is more than a descriptive phrase: it’s a very real worldview and a call-to-action. The women of Ejo Heza have come together in many remarkable ways. Their collective efforts to truly benefit each other and their community within a larger cooperative and the unique history of the country have allowed the topic of gender equity to become more widespread within the sector. Teresa Uwimana and Bette Uwimana continue as President and Treasurer of the group, respectively. Teresa has been president for a long time, and Artisan sees this continuity of leadership as a good thing.
We became aware of this inspirational group of women through Ruth Ann Church, founder of Artisan Coffee Imports. Ruth Ann’s connection to Rwanda began through an economic research project that led her to believe the coffee sector in Rwanda had the power to radically transform the local economy. The team which Ruth Ann was part of compiled interviews and comprehensive data into published research which helped the government decide to raise the national floor price for coffee cherry for smallholder farmers the following year. In Rwanda, the national floor price is open to fluctuations every year, so the victory was short-lived on a national scale. But the experience gave Artisan Coffee Imports the foundation to commit to sustainable prices so coffee farmers can reach their potential as catalysts for economic, environmental, and social development.
For us at Joe, when it comes to these complex and far-reaching issues, we feel the responsibility to both educate and be educated ourselves. It’s important for us to rely on strong logistics partners to give us context for their work and insight into what sustainability looks like for all parties in a supply stream. In order for all of us to be strong and thrive, we rely on open communication so we can collectively learn how to be the best business partners we can be. The result keeps us accountable to each other and our shared future. Because of their commitment to transparency and active partnership, we choose to partner with Artisan Coffee Imports for many years to come.
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When it comes to producing exceptional coffee, it truly takes a village. Women are a tremendously influential part of the global coffee community, making up 70% of the labor in field work and harvesting—detail-oriented roles which ultimately translate to excellence in the cup. However, women face steep challenges when it comes to equitable access to career growth, land, education, and credit, representing just 20-30% of farm ownership.
The Village is a celebration of women in coffee, composed of seasonally-rotating selections from valued relationships with female producers and cooperatives, aimed at highlighting and addressing this gender gap. According to strong research, investing in women increases the sustainability of coffee everywhere—women are more likely to reinvest their income back into their families, their coffee businesses, and their communities. And when access to decision-making and the
Currently, The Village features the Ejo Heza Women, Kopakama Cooperative.
This is the seventh year we have purchased coffee from Artisan Coffee Imports, and for almost as many years we have purchased very special micro-lots from the all-women group Ejo Heza. Their name, which means “Bright Tomorrow” in Kinyarwanda, is more than a descriptive phrase: it’s a very real worldview and a call-to-action. The women of Ejo Heza have come together in many remarkable ways. Their collective efforts to truly benefit each other and their community within a larger cooperative and the unique history of the country have allowed the topic of gender equity to become more widespread within the sector. Teresa Uwimana and Bette Uwimana continue as President and Treasurer of the group, respectively. Teresa has been president for a long time, and Artisan sees this continuity of leadership as a good thing.
We became aware of this inspirational group of women through Ruth Ann Church, founder of Artisan Coffee Imports. Ruth Ann’s connection to Rwanda began through an economic research project that led her to believe the coffee sector in Rwanda had the power to radically transform the local economy. The team which Ruth Ann was part of compiled interviews and comprehensive data into published research which helped the government decide to raise the national floor price for coffee cherry for smallholder farmers the following year. In Rwanda, the national floor price is open to fluctuations every year, so the victory was short-lived on a national scale. But the experience gave Artisan Coffee Imports the foundation to commit to sustainable prices so coffee farmers can reach their potential as catalysts for economic, environmental, and social development.
For us at Joe, when it comes to these complex and far-reaching issues, we feel the responsibility to both educate and be educated ourselves. It’s important for us to rely on strong logistics partners to give us context for their work and insight into what sustainability looks like for all parties in a supply stream. In order for all of us to be strong and thrive, we rely on open communication so we can collectively learn how to be the best business partners we can be. The result keeps us accountable to each other and our shared future. Because of their commitment to transparency and active partnership, we choose to partner with Artisan Coffee Imports for many years to come.
Ejo Heza Women, Kopakama Cooperative
