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The Conversation

Factual: Life Stories

Two women from different parts of the world share the stories of their lives

Two women from different parts of the world, united by a common passion, experience or expertise, share the stories of their lives.

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The Conversation: Born into coffee

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Women producing coffee

25/09/2023 GMT

Born into coffee

BBC World Service - The Conversation, Born into coffee

The women breaking the mould in the coffee supply chain

Kim Chakanetsa hears from two women from Ethiopia and Colombia who play a vital role in the coffee supply chain.

Inheriting a family business can be a tall order.  All the more so when it's a coffee business, where men have traditionally dominated the sector in many countries that produce one of the world's most popular beverages.  While women have a crucial role to play in an industry that supports 25 million rural households across the globe, they're often under-represented at the highest level.

Kim Chakanetsa hears from two women who've broken the mould.  Heleanna Georgalis is the president of Moplaco Trading in Ethiopia, a company she took on when her father died in 2008.  When she arrived, the system of trading coffee in the country was turned on its head, and she was forced to make changes to secure the future of the company.

Ana María Donneys from Colombia inherited a coffee producing company from her grandfather when she was only in her mid-twenties.  As the first woman to lead the company, and the first to export their specialty coffee, she's overcome numerous challenges to succeed in a highly volatile market.

Both women discuss the future of coffee in the context of climate change, and how women can play a role.

Produced by Fiona Clampin

(Image: (L) Ana María Donneys, courtesy of Laura Victoria Usma Salazar. (R) Heleanna Georgalis, courtesy of Imran Mazar.)

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