Meet three Women Who Helped Reshape Coffee, One Bean at a Time
Coffee isn’t just a drink. It’s stories. It’s history. It’s people—from the farmers tending the land to the roasters perfecting the flavour to the hands that wrap around that first, soul-warming morning cup.
But here’s something you might not know—for a long time, women in coffee weren’t given the credit, the pay, or the opportunities they deserved. And that? That wasn’t going to fly with the incredible women we’re celebrating today.
This International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on three powerhouse women who didn’t just change their own futures—they’ve reshaped the coffee industry for good.
Aurora María Izquierdo – A Trailblazer for Indigenous Colombian Coffee Growers
In Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, coffee is life for many Indigenous communities. But for a long time, education and leadership roles were reserved for men.
Aurora María Izquierdo changed that.
She became the first woman from the Arhuaco community to pursue higher education in Bogotá. But instead of chasing a career elsewhere, she came back home. And she built something incredible, refusing to take what she was given for granted.
Her cooperative, ANEI Coffee, now supports 600+ Indigenous families across four communities. It’s not just about coffee—it’s about preserving traditions, creating fair wages, and ensuring future generations thrive. Today, ANEI Coffee is proof that sustainability, culture, and world-class coffee can go hand in hand.
Aurora is a powerful and inspirational leader who has driven incredible change to her community and co-op.
Read more about Aurora's co-op here
Merilyn Parker – Pioneering Organic & Ethical Coffee in Australia
In 1989, when organic, Fairtrade coffee was practically unheard of in Australia, Merilyn Parker co-founded Jasper Coffee with the goal of making a big difference—to change how Australians drink coffee.
She wasn’t interested in shortcuts. Anyone that knows Mez knows just how hard she has worked, creating one of Australia’s original organic coffee roasteries along side her partner Wells. Together they pushed for carbon-neutral operations, and helped bring initiatives like Café Femenino into the Australian coffee scene—ensuring that women coffee farmers worldwide had access to fair wages and better working conditions.
Fast forward 35 years, and Jasper Coffee is still pushing forward in ethical, sustainable coffee. That’s what happens when you refuse to compromise on your values.
Isabel Uriarte – Giving Women Farmers the Power They Deserve
The namesake of our Isabel blend.
For generations, women in coffee-growing communities worked just as hard as the men—sometimes harder. But when it came to who controlled the money, the land, and the decisions, they were left out.
Isabel Uriarte wasn’t about to let that slide.
In 2004, she co-founded Café Femenino, a movement that flipped the script. What started as a small group of 464 women farmers in Peru is now a global movement spanning nine countries. Through Café Femenino, women finally gained ownership of their coffee, their land, and their income—giving them the financial independence they’d never had before.
The result? Stronger communities, better futures, and some seriously exceptional coffee.
It is very hard to overstate the massive impact Isabel's work has had on families all across the globe.
Read more about Isabel's work here
Why This Matters
Coffee isn’t just a caffeine fix—it’s a global industry that touches lives, shapes communities, and can be a force for good.
Thanks to women like Isabel, Aurora, and Merilyn, the coffee world is fairer, more ethical, and more sustainable than ever before.
So today, when you take that first sip, think of the hands behind your cup. The stories. The fight for equality. The change that’s still happening, one bean at a time.
💜 Here’s to the women brewing a better future—today, and every day.
Want to support women-led coffee initiatives? Check out our range of Fairtrade, organic, and Café Femenino coffees, try Juliet or the famed Isabel blend (named after Isabel Uriarte) —because great coffee should do great things.
