Women in Coffee Convene in Bali for Largest Global Gathering Yet
The International Women’s Coffee Alliance is heading to Indonesia. From May 12–14, the organisation will host its 2026 Global Convention at the Bali Beach Hotel in Sanur, bringing together representatives from more than 30 chapters worldwide for what promises to be its most significant gathering yet.
The timing is intentional. The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, creating a global spotlight on the women who grow 40% of the world’s food but remain largely invisible in agricultural policymaking and market access. Coffee, with its long supply chains and persistent gender gaps, sits squarely in focus.
Three Days, One Mission
The convention runs under the theme “Strength in Every Connection: Building Bridges of Leadership, Opportunity, and Change.” The structure reflects IWCA’s dual priorities — internal capacity-building and external market access.
Day one opens with keynotes, panels, and workshops covering sustainability, market access, gender equity, climate resilience, and innovation. Day two shifts to the Global Leadership Summit, a dedicated space for IWCA chapter leaders to work through governance, collaborative strategy, and storytelling — the practical mechanics of running producer-focused organisations across 28 coffee-origin countries.
The final day brings a trade show and international cupping session, showcasing cooperatives, organisations, and companies working alongside IWCA. For producers seeking connections with buyers, this is where relationships form.
Those who stay can join optional origin experiences from May 15–17, hosted by the IWCA Indonesia Chapter. The field tours offer firsthand exposure to Indonesian coffee production and women-led farming initiatives — the kind of context that rarely translates through cupping samples alone.
Cup of Excellence Partnership Expands
The convention arrives two months after IWCA renewed its memoranda of understanding with Cup of Excellence and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence. The partnership, first established in 2021, aims to increase female producer participation in CoE competitions while expanding women’s representation on national and international judging panels.
Cup of Excellence operates across 11 countries in 2026, running competitions that routinely generate premium auction prices for top-scoring microlots. Access to that platform means visibility — and in specialty coffee, visibility translates to price premiums.
IWCA CEO Blanca Maria Castro called CoE “one of the best” marketing tools available to specialty producers. CoE Executive Director Erwin Mierisch described women as “the unsung heroes and the backbone of the coffee industry,” acknowledging a gap between contribution and recognition that the partnership seeks to narrow.
Why Bali, Why Now
Indonesia ranks as the world’s fourth-largest coffee producer, with distinct regional profiles ranging from Sumatra’s earthy wet-hulled coffees to Bali’s lighter, fruit-forward lots. The country offers both logistical infrastructure for a global gathering and proximity to coffee production for those origin tours.
The International Year of the Woman Farmer provides institutional backing that extends beyond coffee. The FAO reports a 24% gender productivity gap in farming even when women manage plots identical in size to men’s. Closing that gap could increase global GDP by $1 trillion and reduce food insecurity for 45 million people. Coffee lands at the intersection of these broader agricultural equity questions.
IWCA now operates 36 chapters globally, with 28 in producing countries. The Bali gathering represents an opportunity to consolidate strategy across diverse contexts — from Colombian cooperatives to Ethiopian family farms to Indonesian smallholders.
What’s at Stake
The specialty coffee sector has grown more attentive to origin stories, traceability, and the people behind production. Yet most of that attention still flows toward exceptional coffees rather than toward structural changes in who benefits from their sale.
IWCA’s model works differently. Rather than certifying individual lots, it builds capacity among producer organisations, creates market pathways, and advocates for policy changes at industry level. The Bali convention offers three days to align that work across chapters, share what’s working, and identify what isn’t.
“When women have the tools and opportunities to lead, entire communities transform,” Executive Director Blanca Castro said. Bali will test whether the specialty sector is ready to back that claim with market access, competition slots, and sustained buyer relationships.
Early-bird registration and limited scholarships are available through the IWCA convention website.