NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, February 14, 2014

On February 18 and 19, Sustainable Harvest Inc., through its nonprofit entity, Relationship Coffee Institute, will launch its Rwanda operation with the first Let’s Talk Coffee Rwanda event, convening in partnership with Women for Women International (WfWI). Sustainable Harvest’s relationship coffee initiative in Rwanda is funded by a three-year grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Among the goals of the initiative is to create economic opportunities in the Rwandan coffee trade for women entering the job market with new skills. Let’s Talk Coffee Rwanda will further that effort by convening more than 150 female farmers, roasters, retailers, NGOs, and senior government officials to discuss challenges and strengthen opportunities for smallholder farmers to make connections in the value chain.

“Relationships are critical to the future of specialty coffee,” notes David Griswold, president and founder of Sustainable Harvest. “We must work collaboratively to address the challenges smallholder women farmers face. Let’s Talk Coffee Rwanda offers a unique forum for fostering these conversations.”