Endah, Indonesian Coffee Farmer
International Women’s Day is dedicated to celebrating women’s amazing achievements across the globe – and there are certainly plenty to celebrate in the coffee industry!
From Bean to Cup: Celebrating International Women’s Day with 5 Women Shaping the Coffee World in Asia Pacific
International Women’s Day is dedicated to celebrating women’s amazing achievements across the globe – and there are certainly plenty to celebrate in the coffee industry!
From coffee farmers to Starbucks partners (employees), both in-store and behind-the-scenes, we are bringing you the stories of five inspirational women in Asia Pacific who are making an impact in the coffee world. Join us as we share the stories behind their coffee experiences – and discover the vital parts they play in crafting your perfect coffee, from bean to cup.
One of the key messages of International Women’s Day is the importance of uplifting and empowering women – and that’s exactly what BENTANI (Brewing Change: Women’s Empowerment in Coffee Origin Communities in Indonesia), a program created by global humanitarian organization Mercy Corps in collaboration with The Starbucks Foundation, is all about.
Endah is a shining example of the program’s benefits. Coming from a family of coffee farmers, coffee is practically in Endah’s DNA; she now helps her coffee farmer husband grow and cultivate coffee, alongside running a village store selling coffee and other groceries.
Through the BENTANI program, Endah received training in bookkeeping, financial management and entrepreneurship – skills she has implemented at her shop to increase her income. “Before I participated in this program, it was hard for me to earn money to help my husband,” she says. Now her income helps pay for her children’s and younger siblings’ educations, as well as being reinvested into her store.
Inspired by BENTANI’s entrepreneurship training, Endah came up with the idea of selling cascara, a unique tea made from coffee shells discarded during the production process. Now Endah cleans and repurposes these shells, packaging them for people to buy and brew cascara at home.
As Endah’s story shows, investing in women results in whole communities being uplifted. To date, over 3,500 women in Indonesia’s coffee farming community have received support from BENTANI – creating a ripple effect that has positively impacted over 11,000 coffee farmers and their families. “This program showed me I could become a woman who didn’t just stay in the kitchen but could run a business!” Endah laughs.
