By Spencer Turer, Coffee Analysts
Coffee professionals from around the world met in San Diego last month for the NCA 2016 Annual Convention. Here, one industry leader shares what he observed this year: Continue reading
NCA 2016 Convention
8 Steps to Building Gender Equity into the Global Coffee Supply Chain
This post was originally published on Perfect Daily Grind
By Phyllis Johnson, President of BD Imports, and NCA Board Member
@PhyllisDJohnson
IWCA Burundi Team: Benigne Nduwimana, Isabelle Sinamenye, Consolate Ndayishimiye, Euphrasie Mashwabure, Angele Ciza, Seraphine Ngaruko, BD Imports President Phyllis Johnson
Think back to the last coffee you drank. Was it a man or a woman who picked those cherries, who carried them to the drying station, and who painstakingly sorted them? And if it was a woman, did she reap an income from it?
For women in rural coffee communities in certain countries, there’s a high chance that they serve as the primary labor force yet own neither the land nor the fruit. As coffee consumers and importers, this poses some difficult questions for us. What does it mean to have a gender-inclusive coffee supply chain? And how do you construct a program for improvement when policies and cultural norms are not on your side?
These aren’t easy questions, but they do have answers. I’m involved in a program driving gender equality in coffee in Burundi, and I’m here to share the eight key steps that we’re taking. Continue reading
Overcome All: An Open Letter From Jason Redman
The 5 Principles of Elite Performers – and 6 Tenants to Live By
Editor’s note: Jason Redman, former Navy SEAL, author of “The Trident,” and founder of SOF Spoken, delivered the keynote presentation at the NCA 2016 Annual Convention in San Diego. He shared a story about his journey into Iraq and back – immediately putting any bad day at the office in perspective. (Pro tip: “If you’re not being shot at, it’s probably not so bad.”)
Due to overwhelming response from Convention attendees, we’re posting the following letter Redman wrote to Bill Murray, NCA CEO, following the event.
Dear Bill and all the amazing members of the NCA:
I wanted thank all of you for your amazing hospitality and FANTASTIC reception I received at the NCA annual conference.
From every company and individual I met, I was treated like a member of the coffee family. Thank you all for allowing me to come in as a keynote speaker and share my story and message. I truly feel blessed to be able to spread my message of the five principles of elite performers.
Due to time restraints I was unable to cover my six tenets that I strive to follow in my personal life, so I have included a summary of both the five principles and six tenets for everyone’s review.
Related Reading: Gender Diversity in Coffee
Curated by Melissa Pugash and Margaret Swallow
Photo: IWCA
Join experts Jane Marvin, Senior Vice President, People and Culture at Peet’s Coffee and Tea; and Henriette Kolb, Head Gender Secretariat, International Finance Corporation for an in-depth in the break-out session titled, “The Business Case for Gender Diversity in the Coffee Sector – Actionable Steps Your Business Can Implement Now” at the NCA 2016 Annual Convention in San Diego, on Friday, March 18, 3 p.m. PDT.
Henriette Kolb
Jane Marvin
Bring your questions and get the answers you need to foster diversity and inclusion in your company’s workforce. You’ll come away with tips for building the right team, with the right talent for your company’s needs, now and in the future.
For those interested in learning more, here is a curated list of resources on a variety of diversity related topics:
What Does Leadership Mean For the Coffee Industry?
Coffee – a beverage with a history of hundreds of years – is in the midst of a period of unprecedented change.
That change has unlocked deeper value and choice for business and consumers,even as it presents unprecedented challenges that continually shape the headlines: Climate change. La roya. Sustainability. GMO legislation. Gender inequality. Volatile prices.
All businesses struggle to identify and train leaders. But for the coffee sector, leaders deal with a complex array of variables, threats and opportunities – making leadership essential for the industry’s future.
At the NCA Convention, we talk a lot about professional leaders and industry leadership.
But what exactly does leadership mean today?
Here, 5 members of the NCA Board of Directors share why leadership matters to the coffee industry: Continue reading
The Business Case for Diversity in Coffee
By Melissa Pugash and Margaret Swallow
Source: IWCA
“Diversity matters because we increasingly live in a global world that has become deeply interconnected. It should come as no surprise that more diverse companies and institutions are achieving better performance. Most organizations, including [ours], have work to do in taking full advantage of the opportunity that a more diverse leadership team represents, and, in particular, more work to do on the talent pipeline: attracting, developing, mentoring, sponsoring, and retaining the next generations of global leaders at all levels.
“Given the increasing returns that diversity is expected to bring, it is better to invest now, as winners will pull further ahead and laggards will fall further behind.”
Source: Diversity Matters*
Whether you are a wholesale roaster, café chain operator, importer, exporter, grower or supplier of allied goods and services, diversity is important to your business.
Research shows that the definition of diversity is changing and that there is an intergenerational difference – what diversity means to a Millennial is quite different from what it means to a Baby Boomer.
But how do you go about implementing the best team building practices in your own company?
Why Are Coffee Prices So Volatile?
By Julio Sera, INTL FC Stone
For those of us who wake up each morning in pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee, success often depends upon our ability to control a number of simple variables. We can buy the most freshly roasted beans we can get our hands on. We can precisely calibrate our grind to match our preferred brewing method (press, drip, etc.). And we can make sure our water temperature remains within the optimal brewing range. Of course, there are a multitude of other variables, too. But if we get these basics right, the rewards can make our whole day better.
A similar multitude of variables goes into the ultimate price of our perfect cup. The difference here, however, is that we have nearly no control over any of these variables. Worse, many of them are often highly changeable and unpredictable, which can lead to considerable volatility in world prices. As a result, it can be easy for many folks in the coffee trade, from producers to roasters to retailers, to feel at times that they are at the mercy of the markets – especially lately.
So what are some of the major drivers of this volatility?
10 Reasons to Visit San Diego
San Diego, CA, consistently ranks as one of the happiest cities in the United States – which isn’t entirely surprising, given the incredible weather, 70 miles of coastline, and renowned craft breweries.
Discover the place for yourself during the NCA 2016 Annual Convention, March 17-19, which will include a pre-conference Leadership Symposium and a luncheon benefiting the International Women in Coffee Alliance.
Until then, here are the top 10 reasons we’re daydreaming about a sunny San Diego escape: Continue reading
The Power of Parity
By Melissa Pugash and Margaret Swallow
Photo: IWCA
As members of the coffee community, why is it essential for us to think about the importance of gender diversity across the global supply chain?
There is a growing body of research that demonstrates the positive impact women make toward prosperity and security around the world. The organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has found that if we close the global gap in workforce participation between men and women, the GDP worldwide would grow by nearly 12% by 2030.
So how do those statistics relate specifically to the coffee sector? Continue reading
5 Lessons to Live By
Decorated U.S. Navy SEAL Lieutenant Jason Redman was critically wounded in 2007 while leading a mission in Iraq. His team was ambushed and he was struck by machine-gun fire at point-blank range.
During the intense recovery that followed, Redman became a symbol for wounded warriors everywhere. In 2013, he released his book, “The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader.”
“When I learned the theme of this year’s National Coffee Association Annual Convention was ‘Leadership in a Changing World,’ I immediately thought of Jason,” says John Boyle, president & CEO, Massimo Zanetti Beverage, USA. “Jason is an inspiration to us – not only because of the selfless sacrifices he made on behalf of this country, but because of his unwavering courage and strength when all odds were against him. Jason never gave up. And his family, who stood by his side and supported him, never gave up.”
“The lesson for all of us is that anything is possible as long as we have a genuine commitment, coupled with the drive and passion, to achieve our goals,” Boyle says. “Successful leaders such as Jason, who exemplify such strength, character, and honor, move others and bring out the best in them so they also can do great things.”
Redman will share his experiences at the 2016 NCA Annual Convention in San Diego, CA, March 19. His keynote presentation is proudly sponsored by Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA.
Here, Redman explains the tenets he lives by today.
National Coffee Association Blog 