August 5th 2026.
Today, I wanted to share some more reflections related to my experience in Kenya, specifically about how women are increasingly taking on leading roles in the coffee industry in Kenya.
Between Nanyuki and Meru, we took a short break at a rest area. Behind the main building, there was a coffee shop inside a bright pink container. Doreen, the owner and Doreen the barista were a great discovery. And the coffee they prepared for us, incredibly well made with beautiful latte art. Once we passed Meru, a university town of 250,000 people, the landscape started to change. We entered the Ruiga area, with the first coffee trees growing on red soil. Doris was waiting for us at the Coffee Clinic.
Doris is an agronomist who works with Ugima, a social enterprise that helps smallholder farmers improve the quality and sustainability of the coffee they produce. She studied at the Coffee Research Institute in Nairobi and now spends most of her time in the field, working directly with farmers. Her role starts with visiting the farms, assessing the coffee trees health, productivity, cultivation methods and soil management. She then provides a diagnosis and recommendations to the farmers. Those who decide to participate in Ugima’s program commit to following their advice, including practices related to regenerative farming. The outcome of all this is that the farmers can obtain a higher price for their crops. And we love this.
Once the cherries are picked, there is still a huge amount of knowledge and expertise required to transform them into the coffee beans we eventually roast and drink. Processing can make an enormous difference to the final quality and flavor of the coffee. And once again, there was a woman right in the middle of it: Moreen, who is a specialist in coffee processing and a barista. She studied at Hills Coffee Academy. Maybe we can see her participating at the World Barista Championship soon.
Women are increasingly taking leading roles at every step of the value chain. And they are the ones who still do most of the manual work. With dignity, professionalism and hard work.
I am also very inspired by the work being done by the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) and its Kenyan chapter, creating opportunities for women across the coffee value chain, connecting them with knowledge, training, markets, finance and networks, while also advocating for greater participation and leadership.
I came back from Kenya with an even stronger conviction that the current development of the specialty coffee is giving more opportunities to create sustainable wealth in producing countries not only in the fields, but everywhere along the value chain.
Warmly
Elisa Dot Bach
DONA coffee founder
elisa@dona.coffee
(all pictures of the women were taken with their consent)
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