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A changing world and the Food Processing Ucraina 2020-2021 Project
In an ever-changing world, chambers of commerce worldwide play a vital role in the promoting of projects and events both offline and online, aimed at fostering resilience and response to the challenges and demands of the market
An ever-changing world
The world we live in has been rapidly evolving and adapting to new international challenges, aimed at fostering resilience and international cooperation. We at ArtOn Café have focused on some of these aspects, notably on the coffee sector and the Covid-19 challenges, on the struggles for women’s empowerment and on the role of women in agriculture and rural economies.
The world in general and the business world in particular are experiencing new methods and dimensions. New approaches and perspectives are needed to face this ever-changing world, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) is responding to these needs with its new head, Ms. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Caiola, 2021).
Ukraine and the food processing sector
The food & beverage processing sector has become complex, intertwined with innovation, internationalisation and digitalisation, aiming at providing increasingly higher added-value to raw materials and semifinished goods (Camera di Commercio Italiana per l’Ucraina, 2020). In Ukraine, the food processing industry mainly concerns small and medium-sized companies, and Italy is one of the main exporters to Ukraine of machinery and equipment for food processing, notably for sugar and for the beverage sector (Camera di Commercio Italiana per l’Ucraina, 2020).
Food Processing Ucraina 2020-2021 Project
In October 2020 the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Ukraine (CCIPU) launched the FoodProcessing 2020 project, an initiative which offers non-repayable grants to companies working in the food processing industry (Camera di Commercio Italiana per l’Ucraina, 2021). This financial aid includes also educational and training activities, especially concerning internationalisation. The FoodProcessing project includes 4 phases (Camera di Commercio Italiana per l’Ucraina, 2021):
Source: Italian Chamber of Commerce for Ukraine (CCIPU)
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, the event was postponed to May 25th-28th, 2021 in order to facilitate a more active participation of Ukrainian companies and institutions in the event. In fact, even though Ukraine is not in lockdown at the moment, most of the companies’ employees are working from home (Camera di Commercio Italiana per l’Ucraina, 2021).
Source: Camera di Commercio Italiana per l’Ucraina, 2021
Make sure you don’t miss any updates concerning the FoodProcessing 2020-2021 project.
Bibliography
Caiola, F. (2021). Newsletter 2/2021. Newsletter Camera Di Commercio Italiana per l’Ucraina, (2).
Camera di Commercio Italiana per l’Ucraina. (2020). L’Ucraina del food processing: un settore in crescita. Retrieved from https://www.ccipu.org/files/131?view=1
Camera di Commercio Italiana per l’Ucraina. (2021). Camera di Commercio Italiana per l’Ucraina. Retrieved April 5, 2021, from Progetto Food Processing Ucraina 2020 – 2021 website: https://www.ccipu.org/progetti/progetto-food-processing-ucraina-2020-2021-
Picture credits a: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/city-landscape-ukrainian-capital-kiev-1773711146
Picture credits b: Vasyl Rohan, Lviv, Ukraine – October 20, 2020: mobile coffee shop in historic city center. Rynok Square. Bicycle cafe, Retrieved 7 April, 2021, from: https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/lviv-ukraine-october-20-2020-mobile-1880239750
Specialty Coffee and Coffee Retail Summit
The Specialty Coffee Association’s Coffee Retail Summit is dedicated to the specialty coffee retail marketplace
Coffee Retail Summit going virtual
Do you remember the initiatives offered by SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) we were talking about in Make Coffee Better, December 27, 2020? The association keeps launching new activities, considering its calibre and its market penetration, and despite the cancellation of several events due to Covid-19, as we wrote in The coffee sector and the Covid-19 challenges, March 21, 2021, it just won’t let the pandemic stop it. There are many events being launched in the immediate future mainly addressed to businesspeople who are dealing with the challenges of the ongoing emergency.
Now more than ever, businesspeople need support, in terms of information and guidance, as they are confronted with key questions such as the following (Specialty Coffee Association, 2021f):
In order to provide businesspeople with all the information needed, SCA has announced a virtual event that will take place on April 13-14. It will be a great opportunity to collect information and to receive all the answers you need (Specialty Coffee Association, 2021b). Over two days, SCA will host a series of debates, discussions and lectures focused on cutting-edge research concerning the retail market, tools to help make difficult business decisions, and more. These elements will support coffee business and businesspeople and help them adapt and react to the challenges of the moment and to those that will appear in the future (Specialty Coffee Association, 2021f).
Héctor Saul Reyna using the Compass in concert with a calendar. Photo courtesy of Caravela Coffee
Specialty Coffee Association Awards
SCA Awards is the Specialty Coffee Association’s annual awards program aiming at recognizing excellence in the coffee industry, notably in product innovation, design, and sustainability (Specialty Coffee Association, 2021g). The event, which this year takes place online for the first time, is open to companies and individuals worldwide, with the purpose of valorising quality and innovation.
Take a look at the SCA’s platforms called New in Coffee and Design in Coffee, where the results are showcased.
Source (edited): SCA
Best new products awards
The Best New Product competition recognizes the positive effects and the added value of cutting-edge products on the entire specialty coffee industry. Best New Product awards always have been and always will be a vital integration to SCA trade shows. This year the event is taking place online, and this fact will make it even more accessible and open to companies and businesspeople working in the coffee sector (Specialty Coffee Association, 2021c).
Coffee design awards
In today’s world, coffee quality needs to be matched to quality coffee design, and is becoming more and more important in distinguishing coffee design (Specialty Coffee Association, 2021e). Brand, architecture, packaging, signage, decorations, are examples of elements playing a crucial role in the promotion of coffee quality, in particular as far as specialty coffees are concerned. The Coffee Design Awards are divided into 4 categories (Specialty Coffee Association, 2021e):
Sustainability awards
Since 2004, the Sustainability Awards of the Specialty Coffee Association recognize individuals, businesses, companies and organizations creating innovative projects, programs or business models promoting sustainability in the coffee sector worldwide. The purpose of these annual Sustainability Awards is to recognize outstanding ideas connected with the huge challenges confronting humankind, such as climate change, in a perspective of collaboration across geographies and cultures (Specialty Coffee Association, 2021h), going beyond borders in the name of specialty coffee and environment protection.
A special focus on one of the finalists: Caravela Coffee Compass
We are pleased to introduce you to one of the finalists of the contest, the Coffee Compass for Farm Operations launched by Caravela Coffee.
For your pleasure, we quote here a short excerpt of the winners’ description (Specialty Coffee Association, 2021d):
“Every year, throughout the year, our PECA team visits coffee farms around Latin America, providing technical assistance and education to thousands of producing families. The objective is to teach them best practices for managing pests and disease, increasing productivity, and improving the quality of their coffee so it can be more profitable. During these visits, we often encounter one big challenge: most small-holder farmers don’t keep track of the activities carried out on their farms and have no tools to manage their farms in an efficient way.
To address this critical issue, our PECA team designed and developed the Coffee Compass. This innovative tool allows coffee growers to organize, plan, register, and follow up their farm activities independently of where they produce coffee. A key focus during the creation of this tool, which is based on rigorous scientific research as well as our team’s know-how, was to consider first and foremost the coffee growers’ reality. As such, the Coffee Compass does not require growers to know about agronomy, much less batteries, electricity, or Wi-Fi. It is a timeless tool that can be used by coffee growers harvest after harvest.
The Coffee Compass is centred around the flowering dates on a farm, which dictate when producers must carry out critical processes and activities over the course of the year, up until harvest. With just that basic information, coffee growers can identify the dates when they need to undertake the most critical tasks on their farms, such as controlling pests and diseases, creating fertilization plans, performing weed controls, as well as planning for harvest and post-harvest phases. The tool also includes a calendar with a planner for coffee growers to register and keep track of what and when to carry out all their activities. We believe the Coffee Compass will be a game-changer for farmers, guiding them to keep a more organized, productive, and profitable farm. Because in the end, it isn’t coffee that’s special; it’s the millions of growers whose hard work and passion yield a product that uplifts millions of people around the world.”
Make sure you take a look at the other Best New Product finalists (Specialty Coffee Association, 2021a)!
Bibliography
Specialty Coffee Association. (2021a). 2021 Best New Product Finalists. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from New In Coffee website: https://new.sca.coffee/2021-best-new-product-finalists
Specialty Coffee Association. (2021b). Announcing Coffee Retail Summit, a new free virtual event and resource library for coffee retail businesses. Retrieved March 20, 2021, from https://sca.coffee/sca-news/announcing-coffee-retail-summit
Specialty Coffee Association. (2021c). Best New Product Awards. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from Best new product website: https://sca.coffee/bestnewproduct
Specialty Coffee Association. (2021d). Caravela Coffee | El Compás del Café. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from New In Coffee. website: https://new.sca.coffee/entries/caravela-coffee-el-compas-del-cafe
Specialty Coffee Association. (2021e). Coffee Design Awards. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from Coffee design awards 2021 website: https://sca.coffee/coffeedesignawards
Specialty Coffee Association. (2021f). Coffee retail is at a turning point. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from Coffee retail summit website: https://retail.sca.coffee/
Specialty Coffee Association. (2021g). Specialty Coffee Association Awards. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from Awards website: https://sca.coffee/awards
Specialty Coffee Association. (2021h). Sustainability Awards 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from Sustainability Awards website: https://sca.coffee/sustainabilityawards
Picture credits a: Autore: John Coletti | Ringraziamenti: Getty Images/AWL Images RM Copyright: (c) John Coletti
Picture credits b: Starbucks.co.jp. Retrieved April 1, 2021, from: https://www.starbucks.co.jp/coffee/180418/index.html?nid=coarc
Women and coffee: the role of women in agriculture and rural economies
Women play a fundamental role in agriculture, hence the struggle for gender equality according to the Sustainable Development Goals
The role of IWCA in promoting gender equality
The International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) aims at promoting women’s empowerment in the coffee community worldwide, encouraging the participation of women in all sectors and phases of the coffee industry, in order for them to achieve meaningful, decent and sustainable lives. To do so, IWCA provides an increased market visibility and encourages strategic partnerships and leadership development. Even in such a challenging year as 2020 IWCA had been pursuing its founding values and approaches, which can be summed up in three words: connect, empower, advance (International Women’s Coffee Alliance, 2020).
The network power: global connection, local impact
IWCA encourages and promotes women’s empowerment, notably in the coffee industry, by supporting a worldwide network of independent and self-organized groups called IWCA Chapters, developing each its own strategies and models. In 2020 IWCA network expanded and it now includes 27 countries (International Women’s Coffee Alliance, 2020).
Source: (International Women’s Coffee Alliance, n.d.)
Connecting people and groups has the power to change today’s world for the better. The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, in fact, aim at eradicating poverty, improving work and economic growth, offering quality education, enhancing gender equality, in a sustainable partnership perspective (United Nations, n.d.).
Women play a vital role in agriculture and rural development, and studies and researches show that 60 to 80% of our food is produced by women (FairTrade Italia, 2021). Nevertheless, their work is often under-estimated and they face inequalities and gender-specific constraints which often prevent them from accessing adequate resources, land, information, education, loans and technical assistance (Oxfam International, n.d.). Women represent an average of 43% of the agricultural labour force in developing countries, 20% in the Americas and 50% in East and Southeast Asia and in Sub-Saharan Africa (UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 2011).
As women are crucial to agriculture, and agriculture is crucial to women’s empowerment, improving women’s access to land and security directly affects farm productivity. Moreover, strengthening women’s status and influence in the household has positive implications for improving household welfare as well (UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 2011).
Colombia: women farmers growing coffee and reinforcing peace
Colombia’s situation is connected to the hard times caused by a 50-year-long armed conflict, during which – since 1985 – more than 7 million people were displaced, and which came to an end with the peace agreement signed in 2016 between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) (UN Women, 2018). However, decent life, working conditions and income are necessary to ensure peace and stability.
The story of Mercedes Ruiz, a small coffee planter in Colombia, is a great example of how women and agriculture, notably in the coffee field (pun intended), can positively affect a country’s social and economic context. In 2016 Mercedes and 600 other indigenous and rural women from Almaguer, a rural municipality in the lush Colombian Massif in the south-west of the country, founded the Association of Rural Women Almaguereñas (AMURA), with the support of UN Women (UN Women, 2017). This association aims at improving women’s social and economic condition by taking their voices and demands into account and by raising awareness – engaging also male local leaders and family members – of women’s rights and women’s vital role in agriculture and in the development of rural economies (UN Women, 2017).
Source: UN Women/Laura Soriano (UN Women, 2017)
Cielo Gomez, a mother of three, a wife, and now a coffee grower with her own land in the municipality of El Tablón de Gómez in the southeast of Nariño territory, Colombia, is another great example. When Cielo’s family was given back their land, it was only in her husband’s name. Thanks to a UN Women project implemented by the Corporation for the Social, Technological and Economic Development of Colombia (CORPDESARROLLO), funded by the Government of Sweden, Cielo managed to develop her leadership and business skills, and learnt about her rights, including the right to land. She now owns one of the three lots of land her family has and can afford to hire 10 workers to cultivate it (UN Women, 2018), in the name of economic autonomy and love for coffee. “I have 10,000 bushes of coffee now. I used to think that women could plant, grow and harvest coffee, but not trade it,” she says, adding that she asked her husband to help with planting the coffee. “It will be a 50-50 partnership, I told him, and we would both benefit from selling the coffee.” (UN Women, 2018).
Source: (UN Women, 2018)
Bibliography
FairTrade Italia. (2021). Le nostre storie di commercio equo e solidale. Retrieved from https://mailchi.mp/fairtradeitalia/dharshani-una-ragazza-speciale-4738793?e=2a91cababc
International Women’s Coffee Alliance. (2020). International Women’s Coffee Alliance: 2020 Annual Report. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51d3052de4b001d5c138c4f7/t/6036b615fcd6b561bd7a3952/1614198323748/IWCA+Annual+Report+Final+2.24.2021.pdf?mc_cid=fc1d5f8d41&mc_eid=dfe8c94fdf
Oxfam International. (n.d.). Empowering women farmers to end hunger and poverty. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from The power of people against poverty website: https://www.oxfam.org/en/empowering-women-farmers-end-hunger-and-poverty
UN Food and Agriculture Organization. (2011). The Vital Role of Women in Agriculture and Rural Development. The Vital Role of Women in Agriculture and Rural Development. Rome. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/mb054e/mb054e.pdf
UN Women. (2017). Colombian women growing coffee, brewing peace. Retrieved March 25, 2021, from Colombian women growing coffee, brewing peace website: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/10/feature-colombian-women-growing-coffee-brewing-peace
UN Women. (2018). Photo essay: Growing coffee, sowing peace in Colombia. Retrieved March 25, 2021, from Photo essay: Growing coffee, sowing peace in Colombia website: https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/multimedia/2018/8/photo-colombia-coffee-growers
United Nations. (n.d.). The 17 Goals. Retrieved March 25, 2021, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Photo Credits a: UN Women. (2018). Photo essay: Growing coffee, sowing peace in Colombia. Retrieved March 25, 2021, from Photo essay: Growing coffee, sowing peace in Colombia website: https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/multimedia/2018/8/photo-colombia-coffee-growers
Photo credits b: Santamaria, M. (2019). Tour del Caffè in Colombia: Come Funziona e Quale Scegliere. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from Pimp my pimp website: https://www.pimpmytrip.it/tour-caffe-colombia/