Why We Built WPCS: Uniting for Change in Coffee
Countless coffee conferences take place around the world. However, we aim to disrupt the status quo—specifically, who has access to attend, voice their perspectives, and ultimately shift the power dynamics within these spaces and the broader industry. Coffee conferences offer valuable opportunities to forge new friendships and business relationships, but historically, access hasn't been equitable.
That's why we created the Women Powered Coffee Summit. It brings together women from every facet of the coffee industry, from those who cultivate and harvest the cherries to those who roast them and serve the final, delicious product to consumers worldwide. Each year, our goal is to cultivate a truly unique space that challenges the existing power imbalance and plants the seeds for meaningful change.
Read on to learn about the "Why" and "How" behind the Women Powered Coffee Summit (WPCS).
Photo by Hugo Tress
A Different Type of Conference
After hosting three editions, we can confidently say that WPCS was conceived with the belief that conferences don't have to adhere to a standardized formula. We've intentionally shifted the dynamic, creating an event that incorporates moments of joy, personal storytelling, and opportunities for hands-on learning and in-depth discussions. We prioritize seamlessly blending the rich culture of the host country and city with the diverse perspectives within the coffee industry. You don't need a prestigious job title to have your insights heard and celebrated, and you'll undoubtedly leave the event with new friendships.
As one WPCS attendee shared, "I appreciated the freedom as a woman to make meaningful connections, to be more of myself, and the way the power dynamics were so different compared to other conferences."
WPCS has three key objectives:
Safe and Inclusive Space: The summit aims to connect women from various sectors of the coffee industry, including producers, traders, roasters, baristas, and researchers, and provide a safe environment for them to gather and foster connections.
Women as Protagonists: The summit seeks to create a space and platform for women to be the protagonists of their own stories, recognizing their knowledge and experiences that are often ignored or unheard.
Success and Sustainability: By showcasing successful women in the coffee industry and emphasizing the importance of climate considerations and intersectionality, the summit aims to unlock potential and create opportunities for women to build thriving businesses.
WPCS is as much about the women behind the coffee as it is about the coffee itself. It's an opportunity to dismantle the walls of the industry and peel back layers of elitism and gatekeeping.
However, we recognize that the current structure of global coffee conferences doesn't allow for equal participation. To ensure representation and a safe and inclusive space for those often least seen—women smallholder coffee producers—we've made the following key elements central to our event design.
Where We Host WPCS
Photo by Sol Sphinx.
Unlike many other global conferences held in the traditionally coffee-consuming countries of the "Global North," WPCS is hosted in a coffee-producing country, ideally within a coffee-producing town. This is a crucial aspect of our event design for several reasons.
First, hosting a global event in a coffee-producing region allows us to honor the immense work that goes into producing the coffee that we all love and consume.
Second, it shifts the power dynamic by placing the work of travel and cultural immersion (including language learning) on coffee professionals from traditionally consuming countries.
Furthermore, logistically, we aim to host the event in a location where producers won't require visas to travel, removing a significant barrier that has historically prevented many from attending global events.
Finally, when choosing the state or town, our intention is always to highlight a region often overlooked within the specialty coffee industry, whenever possible. We want to be the catalyst that inspires people to travel to a place and experience coffee cultures they might otherwise miss.
2. Bridging The Language Barrier: Host it in Spanish
Because we've been hosting WPCS in Latin America, a key element of our design is using Spanish as our official event language. To accommodate all attendees, each talk and workshop is translated in real-time from Spanish to English and vice versa. This bridges the language barrier and creates a space where women from different countries can share their knowledge. Too often, vital conversations about coffee (and beyond!) are conducted exclusively in English, excluding countless women and limiting transparency.
Creating a bilingual and inclusive event is also crucial for fostering a space filled with humor, active listening, and learning, where everyone has the opportunity to participate. Language can unite us and unlock understanding. As one participant noted, “As a bilingual person, the value of having all sessions available in both languages was fantastic. Sitting with and meeting so many female producers was a unique and much-needed experience.”
3. Over 50% of Participants Are Producers
Photo by Sol Sphinx
WPCS has brought together diverse women, including producers from Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, many of whom reported attending an international coffee conference for the first time.
By ensuring that at least 50% of the room is filled by women smallholder coffee producers, we create a space where they feel at home and everyone belongs, regardless of their previous conference experience.
This design element also has meant we have to make the event accessible to producers, with the majority traveling on scholarships provided directly by us or other partners.
The coffee industry wouldn't exist without producers. Yet, they are often excluded from crucial conversations, with decision-making power concentrated further along the supply chain—often in the Global North. We believe that creating more balance requires inviting women producers to challenge these existing power dynamics that often diminish their autonomy. We're grateful that so many producers traveled from near and far to share their deep understanding of coffee with us, and we thank the partners who made their travels possible.
4. The Power of Storytelling
Photo by Sol Sphinx
Hearing stories that aren't typically at the forefront can illuminate aspects of the coffee industry that many don't see or know about. Stories of resilience, hope, and overcoming immense challenges are vital.
For every perfectly crafted latte, there's a story of the woman who grew the plant, and we often overlook the journey our coffee takes to reach our cup. Women in coffee-producing regions globally don't always have equal access to tools, education, and opportunities. That's why platforms, initiatives, and spaces that level the playing field and create a safe space for women from all walks of life are so important. We made sure that the program balanced science-based insights with powerful storytelling.
As one WPCS participant shared, "It's not often we get to connect with women who work in coffee across the supply chain and around the world."
This is one of WPCS's biggest considerations and challenges: bridging the gaps within the industry and hosting a space where women producers can meet the women on the other side of the supply chain, and vice versa, in a setting that promotes equality rather than hierarchy.
(Bonus!) The Impact of Visiting Coffee-Producing Farms
One of the most important ways to understand coffee, how it's produced, and the challenges women farmers face is by visiting the farms themselves. That's why, on the final day, everyone had the opportunity to visit one of five farms around Córdoba with which Bean Voyage partners.
This is a significant advantage of hosting the Summit in a coffee-producing region—the accessibility of the farms and our ability to see the plants firsthand. From Damna's Farm to Blanca's Farm and beyond, these visits provided a fitting conclusion to the summit, grounding the discussions and ideas shared in the previous days in the realities of coffee production.
By witnessing the process firsthand, those working in other parts of the supply chain gain a deeper understanding of the physical labor, meticulous planning, and constant attention that coffee growing and harvesting require, which in turn increases our empathy for the women responsible for the delicious coffee we all enjoy.
Photo by Gabriel Carvajal
Photo by Iva Alvarado
Important Questions & Final Thoughts
When coffee travels worldwide, there is little thought about where it came from. The lack of transparency is one factor that keeps the coffee industry's power in the hands of a few. This theme was explored by many WPCS speakers and panelists, with some thought-provoking questions and points arising that we can all take forth:
What is the difference when we talk about equality vs equity? Equality means leveling the status quo. Equity means justice and fairness.
Coffee depends on women, which is why we need intersectional data.
Even though digitalization is a challenge, it can give farms the tools to work towards the future.
Diversity is having a seat at the table, but belonging is having that voice heard!
Producers are the foundation of the coffee industry, and it's time to ensure fair pay throughout the supply chain.
These are some of the themes that we will continue exploring and hold at the center of our future WPCS.
It was a truly special summit with women at the forefront. When we come together, change happens—and we move closer to the industry we all want to see!
You can read more about the WPCS 24 highlights in our previous blog post.
WPCS will return to Mexico in October 2025.
Learn more about the event here.
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Blog written by Amina Katana
Edited by Sunghee Tark
