Maria Cleaveland, one of today’s guests, says “coffee is often touched by nine separate hands before you consume the product.” From the people who grew, picked, milled, prepared for export, exported, imported, roasted, sold, and finally brewed, so much tenuous labor happens before the first sip.

Inspired by Anne Connor’s recent article “Climate Solutions for the Future of Coffee” for Civil Eats, host Douglas Haynes speaks with a panel of guests about sustainability challenges as well as gender inequalities facing the coffee supply chain. Maria Cleaveland, Blanca Castro, and Amaris Gutierrez-Ray explain all the complexities that go into your morning cup of coffee.

Former A Public Affair producer Richelle Wilson also joins the show to help fundraise!

About our guests:

Maria Cleaveland is a food & beverage and hospitality professional with business development, strategic planning, finance and operations expertise. A veteran of the early specialty coffee scene, she has built wholesale and licensing businesses at Starbucks, Peet’s & Equator Coffees. Notably, Cleaveland managed Starbucks’ initial expansion into US airports and brings an entrepreneurial spirit to every project. Currently she is advising BrewBird, a venture backed startup reinventing the “single- serve” coffee for the 21st century and serves as Sales Director for the Americas at Urnex Brands, the global leader in specialized cleaning for the coffee sector. In her roles, Maria advances sales with technical acumen while advancing gender equity in her volunteer leadership positions. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the US Women in Coffee, a chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Association (IWCA) and serves on the Leadership Council of the Coffee Technicians Guild.

Amaris Gutierrez-Ray is the VP of Coffee for Joe Coffee Company, a roaster and wholesaler in New York City that owns and operates 25 cafes in the 5 boroughs. She is also the founder of the Women in Coffee Project, and is a member of the US Chapter of the IWCA. A lover of stories and the people that tell them, she has always been interested in the culture and communities of the world in coffee. Both inside and outside the workplace, she’s focused on gender, equity, and positively shifting the human patterns that shape our world.

Blanca María Castro has 16 years within the coffee sector in marketing and trade. Blanca started as Marketing Coordinator for the National Coffee Association of Guatemala. As volunteer, supported IWCA Global projects in Central America and later as Coffee Consultant for the International Trade Center, supporting and forming IWCA Chapters in East Africa. These experiences strengthen her coffee awareness more. Fluent in English, French, German and Spanish, counts with a strong network and experience on public relationships, administration and communications, enabling her to identify needs and solutions to approach the coffee market. In 2016 signed contract with IWCA as first formal staff member, coordinating and guiding IWCA Chapter’s programs and projects as Chapter Relations Manager. Last September, when IWCA celebrated its 20thAnniversary, Blanca was appointed Executive Director of this non-profit organization, leading a new staff team of 4 members serving 34 IWCA Chapters in coffee producing and consuming countries… and counting!

Image provided by Blanca María Castro of a recent grafting competition

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