By Dr. Erika Koss


Women are more visible in the coffee industry than ever. But there remains some bitter realities of what’s really happening in our industry.

On the producing side in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, the International Coffee Organization estimated in 2018 that “between 20% and 30% of coffee farms are female-operated and up to 70% of labor in coffee production is provided by women, depending on the region.” Yet women don’t necessarily reap the financial rewards of their labor. This reality – women having underpaid jobs while men control money and power – is one of the features of what I’ve named elsewhere as the “Gender coffee paradox.”

But the paradox isn’t just at the farm level in the Global South.  It’s also evident in the Global North.  From green coffee to cup, in many country contexts, women often face barriers to moving toward jobs as importers, exporters, or roasters – sometimes barista jobs are gendered.  On the competition side, women face gendered barriers both to compete, serve as judges, and advance in either role, especially since both are unpaid yet require time, travel, and expertise.

This is one reason why women-owned businesses on both sides of the equator is essential for social sustainability of our coffee industry. Without intersectional gender equity, we will face a coffee industry that cannot thrive long-term.  One woman who is speaking out boldly on this topic is Casey Lalonde, founder of “Girls Who Grind Coffee,” a small roastery about 90 minutes east of London. 

Above: Owner Casey Lalonde brewing coffee at her roastery, June 2025.

Right Image: Author Erika Koss with Casey at her UK roastery, June 2025.

Women-Led Coffee
Launched in 2017, “Girls Who Grind Coffee” (GWGC) seeks to address the rampant invisibility of women in the global coffee industry – not just as producers, but also as green coffee buyers and roasters. Casey Lalonde – GWGC owner, coffee buyer, roaster, and Q grader – have been talking about this since 2022 when we first met via Zoom, then continued to do so at in person at World of Coffee Athens in 2023, which all led to my visit earlier this month to her roastery

To our knowledge, Girls Who Grind Coffee is the only women-owned roastery in the UK that is only buying coffee from women producers or women-centred organizations, such as Bean Voyage. “The coffee industry continues to be male dominated. We wanted to give more attention to women’s work, so we source 100% of its green coffee only from female producers from several coffee producing countries including Brazil, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Colombia. It’s also rare to find women-owned roasteries in Europe.  As Casey reflects, “In the UK, there are more than 600 coffee roasters with only around 15% of them being owned by women.”  When GWGC began, Casey was told there wouldn’t be enough coffee. But it’s not true:  as Casey told me: “There are so many women to buy coffee from!”

As a for-profit business, GWGC seeks to celebrate the work of women coffee producers by ensuring representation and visibility.  As Casey explained, “One of the ways we wanted to set ourselves apart is by redefining the word ‘quality.’ We don’t like the divide between quality in the cup and the human quality behind the cup.  First, we search for producers to work with, then, we taste the coffee. We don’t taste blindly. Working toward social justice and mutual relationships, this is all part of quality.”

As a small roastery, one of the biggest economic challenges GWGC faces is the struggle with cash flow. “The world of coffee runs on financing. Cash flow is a big challenge for small roasters. When I buy green coffee, I store it in a warehouse, and I’m contracted to pay for it over time.  That’s because I can’t pay for it all up front. So, I can only get about 20 bags at a time.  I can’t take out more than that due to cash flow.”

We discuss this challenge of economic sustainability in depth: the limitations that many women face all around the world to obtain credit, pay off loans, and find investors.  It’s a key reason there aren’t more female-owned businesses.  Casey continues, “Since I don’t want to operate in debt, I can’t expand in ways I otherwise would if I had investors.” 


From Brazil to the UK: Andrea Costa
This challenge affects women producers, too, a bitter reality often on Casey’s mind.  “When women lack economic power, they're more vulnerable to domestic violence, political disenfranchisement, healthcare inequities, and education barriers.” That’s why, as she describes her business: “We're not just roasting coffee; we're actively working to disrupt these power structures by sourcing exclusively from women producers and organizations who are investing in women by creating real economic opportunities across the coffee supply chain.” This is among the reasons why Casey chooses to buy coffee grown only by female-owned or female-led farmers, such as the single origin from Brazil produced by Andrea Costa that she brewed for me during my recent visit.

Through Casey’s purchase of Andrea’s green coffee, the supply chain comes full circle as the coffee moves from Brazil to the UK. Andrea’s daughter and another woman started a coffee importing business in the UK – a rare feat in the UK and elsewhere – specifically so they could import and market Andrea’s coffee themselves. As Casey confirms, “I don’t know of any other importing businesses fully owned by women in the UK.”

Right Image: Girls Who Grind Coffee Bags

Top Image: Members of the GWCG team put stickers on their coffee bags by hand, such as a silver oval that says, “Grown by women. Always.”

Coming Soon: Girls Who Grain Beer
While women-produced, women-led, and women-owned businesses are a proven solution to a more equitable and sustainable coffee industry, we have much fewer examples in other beverage industries such a beer.

That’s why Casey will be launching sister brands in other product areas.  Her first non-coffee product is coming in Autumn 2025:  Girls Who Grain, a gluten free, vegan, beer that with all female-led supply chain (and only 55 calories per can!).  The hops are farmed by Sarah Hawkins in England, one of the only women hops farmers in the UK. Two other women in Wales own the brewery where the beer is brewed. Casey is marketing and distributing this new brand with the hope that bringing everyone together in this way will create more awareness for the female labour behind other products beyond coffee.  She also hopes such diversification will be a strategy to address her own challenges with economic sustainability, so she can continue to support other women.

Vote with Your Dollars
The coffee industry continues to focus its efforts on sustainability and ethical sourcing—an ongoing complex endeavour in our time of global capitalism.  But for coffee social sustainability to be a reality, gender equity is essential.

One way to do this is for both industry professionals and consumers to support women with your dollars. Casey gives an ironic example that on International Women’s Day this year, another women-owned for-profit business expected free coffee for an event. “But I just can’t give away free coffee!  The best way to support women owned businesses is to pay for your coffee, especially on feminist holidays!  Stop asking women for free coffee or free education.”  

Until women from all races, sexualities, ages, and other intersectionalities have equal access to land ownership, leadership opportunities, and profits from their labour, true sustainability in coffee won’t be a reality.

As we ended our time together, I asked for Casey’s final thoughts about how we might better promote gender equity.  From Casey’s role in the supply chain, she wanted to focus on consumer action:  Your coffee purchase is a vote for the kind of industry you want to see. Every pound spent at a women-owned coffee business isn't just buying coffee. It’s investing in women's economic power, independence, and future leadership in our industry.”

https://girlswhogrindcoffee.com/