Sustainable Growers

Women coffee producers belong at the table where trade and investment decisions are made. At #GCC2026, the Pitch Perfect masterclass helped prepare them to speak for their cooperatives in those conversations. The session gave cooperative leaders a structure for presenting their coffee, story, and business to buyers and investors: one sentence for each of six steps, from their location and community to their challenges, achievements, and plans for the future. Participants spent 15 minutes writing their pitch and 10 minutes practising it at their tables. A clear pitch helps cooperatives build sourcing relationships and reach global markets on stronger terms. Thank you @RKKanyesigye & Matthew Kern

Who decides whether a cooperative’s coffee reaches an international buyer? Often, the answer includes a certifier. At GCC 2026, Michel Ruzindana of @FAIRTRADE Africa reminded cooperative leaders what certification means in the value chain. It tells buyers three things about a cooperative: it is professional, it meets standards, and it delivers consistent quality.

Recalling the voices from the stage and the ideas worth carrying forward from #GCC2026, on the “From Innovation to Income: What Really Reaches the Farmers” panel, Michaelle challenged delegates to rethink innovation. The next step for coffee cooperatives may not be new equipment. It may be unlocking more value from what they already grow, process, and sell!

Women at TUK Cooperative are getting ready to lead. 🗳️ This week, the cooperative welcomed Mukantwari Elizabeth, in charge of Social Affairs at the National Women’s Council (@RwandaWomen) in @RwandaEast, together with the @KayonzaDistrict Cooperative Officer. They met with members to talk about the upcoming local leaders’ elections, women’s right to vote, and the many leadership positions open to them. The members left with a shared commitment: to stand as candidates and to back one another, starting in their own villages. When women lead in their cooperatives and communities, they shape the decisions that affect their coffee, their families and their villages. Economic independence and leadership grow together. Thank you to our government partners for leading this conversation. #WomenInCoffee #WomenInLeadership

Before the Global Coffee Conference 2026 sessions began in Kigali, Marie travelled with international delegates to KOPAKAKI. The visit gave her time with another cooperative’s leaders and members, and a close look at how they run their farms, handle quality, and work with buyers. Weeks after the conference, Marie reflects on that day. Exchanges like this one are a core part of SGR’s work. Cooperative leaders learn best from each other, and what they learn moves quickly to the women farmers they represent. #GCC2026 #BuildTogetherLeadGlobally #WomenInCoffee

Building sustainable solutions in the coffee value chain starts in the field, and that is where the Global Coffee Conference 2026 began. On day one, delegates travelled to meet our cooperative partners at KOPAKAKI and Nyampinga. They walked the farms, visited the washing stations, and sat with the women who grow Rwanda's coffee to hear how the work is done and what it takes to deliver quality, season after season. Delegates saw how women shape coffee at every stage of the value chain, from planting and harvesting to processing, cooperative leadership, and bringing coffee to market. Their work goes well beyond the farm. They are decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and leaders driving quality and growth in their communities. The women also shared what they hope the GCC will bring: stronger partnerships, direct connections with buyers and markets, and collaboration that turns shared commitments into lasting opportunities for women in coffee. Thank you to KOPAKAKI and Nyampinga for opening your farms and sharing your knowledge, and to every delegate who made the journey. Swipe through to follow the visit. #GCC2026 #BuildTogetherLeadGlobally #SustainableGrowers

Behind every session, every coffee break, every connection at the #GCC2026 were partners who chose to invest in the future of coffee. Thank you for sharing our belief and investing in the cause!

Today we celebrate rural women: the farmers, leaders and mothers whose work sustains families and communities, often without recognition. Across Rwanda, our partners joined district celebrations of the International Day of Rural Women, standing alongside leaders and their communities, and sharing their coffee to attendees to taste the flavors of their specialty harvest. Today and every day, we celebrate them. 🌱 #InternationalRuralWomenDay #UmugoreWoMuCyaro

Hello Tokyo! 🇯🇵 Our women producer partners have arrived at the Specialty Coffee Association of Japan (SCAJ) Convention. They’ve brought their coffee to the world stage to share their stories and introduce Rwanda's taste to new cups. We were honored to host H.E. Ambassador Marie Claire Mukasine, Rwanda’s Ambassador to Japan, at the booth to meet our partners. If you’re at #SCAJ2026, come by to meet them, taste their coffee, and hear their stories firsthand. 📍 Rwanda Booth 2112, South Exhibition Hall 1–2

Our women producers’ coffee is in Tokyo at @scajconference 2026! This week at SCAJ 2026, coffees from five women-led cooperatives we work with in Rwanda will be cupped at the Rwanda Booth. If you’re at SCAJ, come by, meet them, taste their coffee, and hear their stories. 📍 Rwanda Booth 2112, South Exhibition Hall 1–2 ⏰ 11:00 – 12:00 | 13:00 – 14:00 🗓️ 15th October 2026 #SCAJ2026 #WomenInCoffee #RwandaCoffee #SustainableGrowers

For International Coffee Day, SGR brought together women coffee farmers from our cooperative partners across Rwanda for a day at @QuestionCafeRW , our social enterprise. It was an opportunity for the women behind Rwanda’s coffee to step beyond the farm and experience another part of the coffee value chain; from tasting and brewing to learning more about how their coffee reaches the cup. At SGR, we believe meaningful change starts by connecting people, strengthening partnerships, and creating opportunities across the value chain. From the women who grow it to the people who enjoy it ☕️

☕ Happy International Coffee Day! Coffee connects farms, communities, markets, and people across the world. Today, we celebrate the women at the heart of coffee production and the work they do to shape a stronger, more inclusive coffee value chain. From seed to cup, we remain committed to building connections that help more value reach the people who grow our coffee. Happy International Coffee Day! 🌱☕️ #InternationalCoffeeDay #WomenInCoffee #CoffeeFarmers

Thank You for Building Together To our women coffee producers, leaders, partners, and delegates from Rwanda, across Africa, and from around the world, thank you. Thank you for bringing your experience, knowledge, ideas and commitment to the Global Coffee Conference 2026. Over these days, we shared the realities of coffee production, explored new partnerships, exchanged knowledge, opened conversations, and connected across borders. Most importantly, we created space for the people who are shaping coffee’s future to meet, listen, and build together. To every producer who shared her story, every leader who brought a perspective, every partner who contributed to the conversation, and every delegate who showed up ready to connect, we are grateful for your presence. The conference may be coming to an end, but the conversations and connections continue. Thank you for being part of GCC 2026. We look forward to seeing where these connections take us next. Build Together. Lead Globally. #GCC2026 #WomenInCoffee #WomenCoffeeProducers #BuildTogetherLeadGlobally

Access to finance can determine how far a cooperative can go. The conversation unpacked the realities behind cooperative financing, from creditworthiness and access to equity to trade finance and commodity markets. The discussion brought an important question to the table: how can financial systems better recognize the realities, potential, and needs of coffee cooperatives? The next step is to strengthen financial readiness, improve access to appropriate capital, and build stronger connections between cooperatives and financial markets. #GCC2026 #BuildTogetherLeadGlobally #CoffeeFinance #Cooperatives

Innovation is not the end goal. Impact is. The conversation looked at the gap between new ideas and what actually reaches smallholder farmers, and whether innovation is translating into stronger livelihoods. From better practices and technology to market access and knowledge, the focus was on a simple measure: does it create value that farmers can see and use? The next step is to design solutions with farmers, measure what reaches them, and keep improving what works. #GCC2026 #BuildTogetherLeadGlobally #CoffeeFarmers #Innovation

A partnership is meaningful only when it delivers results. The conversation explored what it takes to move from good intentions to practical collaboration, bringing producers, buyers, and policymakers together around shared goals. The takeaway: real partnership requires listening to producers, aligning interests, sharing responsibility, and turning commitments into action. The question now is: what will each partner do differently to make the relationship work from farm to market? #GCC2026 #BuildTogetherLeadGlobally #Partnership #WomenInCoffee

#DAY3 We're getting started. Delegates are settling into the room: coffee producers, buyers, policymakers, and partners from around the world, all under one roof, today, we lead globally. Stay tuned #GCC2026 #BuildTogetherLeadGlobally #WomenInCoffee