We advance women producers in business through coffee with our vocational coffee training program to build their professionalism throughout the value-chain — from being producers at the grassroots level to enterprising leaders who can stand confidently on the international market. Sustainable Growers also facilitates women-led cooperatives to participate in local and international trade.
Women in Leadership
Sustainable Growers promotes women's involvement in leadership. The organization has partnered with a consultancy firm to conduct storytelling for leadership — increasing women's confidence and desire to take up leadership positions in the cooperatives. By the end of the second phase, a 6% increase in board membership by women was realized.
Gender Inclusivity
Gender inclusiveness is a key part of the Sustainable Growers program. Through partnerships with government agencies and other non-profits, Sustainable Growers invests in gender-inclusive training to create mindset changes and joint participation in farming as a family business, increasing women's involvement in decision-making around school enrollment, finances, and health.
National Geographic Feature
Agnes Nyinamumuntu, the President of Twongere Umusaruro wa Kawa (TUK), with 160 women members, was featured in National Geographic magazine. Agnes shared her thoughts on changing Rwandan values and expectations for women, and how she has been inspired to lead. The women of TUK were also recognized for their song and dance in celebration of coffee harvest.
Sustainable Growers partners with a state-of-the-art agri-tech company to cost-effectively track impact delivery. Using an android mobile application, the organization uses its network of community-based Relationship Coffee Women to collect household data at different stages of the program to track behavioral change and agricultural practices to realize increments in production. The same approach is used to track cooperative governance and business growth.
Home Roasting Trainings in South Kivu (DRC)
Home roasting is one way to increase domestic consumption of coffee. Nyirabarore Drocelle, a member of Gashonga Coffee Cooperative in Western Rwanda and a Relationship Coffee Woman (RCW), traveled to the DRC to train 8 RCWs on roasting using locally available materials. Of the targeted 519 team leaders, 288 have already been trained across Idjwi Island and Mwenga territory. With these skills, women farmers can taste their coffee, drink it at home, and sell it in their communities to generate more income.
We link women co-ops to buyers to sell their coffees at premium prices all over the world. The coffee program includes building business skills in cooperative management to position women producers to get credit from financial institutions, and to negotiate and sign contracts with buyers. Facilitating participation in local and global events increases visibility for women producers and their coffees. Building washing stations, equipped cupping facilities, and skills leads to increased market access opportunities.
In-Flight Soluble Coffee on RwandAir
In March 2018, Sustainable Growers and RwandAir announced a groundbreaking partnership to serve Rwandan specialty coffee on RwandAir flights — allowing passengers to support smallholder women farmers and their families in Rwanda. TUK was the cooperative trading partner providing coffee for the distribution of the first Rwandan soluble coffee served in-flight on RwandAir.
Cupping Labs
Several program beneficiaries, including TUK, Mayogi Coffee, and Nyampinga cooperatives, have upgraded their facilities to include brand new fully-stocked cupping labs. These labs give producers the facilities to assess the quality of their coffees throughout the season and help them determine what adjustments to make at seed level for a better harvest and final cup.
Let's Talk Coffee Program
LTC Rwanda is the go-to biennial event in Africa for coffee professionals and aficionados looking to connect with key stakeholders in the value chain. The event brings buyers closer to farmers to ensure access to international markets, featuring coffees and delegates from cooperatives trained by Sustainable Growers Rwanda, representing over 42,000 women coffee farmers from East Africa.
Facilitate Access to Capital
Sustainable Growers facilitates access to capital from financial institutions by linking cooperatives with lenders, helping them prepare the right documentation, and ensuring they have the market access needed to repay working capital borrowed from financial institutions.