IWCA details growth in Annual Report – BeanScene

The International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) has continued its global expansion and strengthened its support for women across the coffee value chain, according to its 2025 Annual Report.

In the past year the organisation has welcomed two new chapters in Ecuador and Germany, bringing its global network to 36 chapters covering both coffee-producing and coffee-consuming countries. Three additional chapters are also in development, which the organisation says reflects its continued momentum in international reach.

IWCA now represents more than 25,300 active members and reports reaching more than 30,600 beneficiaries through its programs, with a broader community of almost 56,000 people worldwide.

Among the report’s major initiatives is the launch of the Women in Coffee Access & Training Grant Fund, designed to improve access to education, leadership development, and professional opportunities for women across the coffee sector. The first grant recipient, Spain’s Monserrat Cornet, used the funding to compete in the Spanish National Barista Championship, where she placed among the top six before mentoring other women baristas.

In 2025, IWCA also distributed more than US$32,000 (AU$46,145) in funding to chapters across six continents to support leadership training, governance, business development, and market access initiatives. Chapter-led projects included climate-focused agriculture programs in Guatemala, occupational health and safety training in Vietnam, leadership development in Ethiopia, and education and business support for women producers in Kenya.

The report highlights the ongoing need to improve gender equity within the coffee industry, noting that while women contribute an estimated 70 per cent of labour across the coffee value chain, they continue to hold a significantly smaller share of leadership positions.

To better support its growing global network, IWCA also completed a new regional leadership structure covering Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East, Asia and Oceania, and coffee-consuming countries.

The report also highlights the work of IWCA Australia, which continues to connect women across the country’s coffee industry through networking, collaboration, and sustainability-focused initiatives in New South Wales and Victoria.

Read the full report here.