5 Women In Coffee That Inspire Me by Kat Griffiths

Lucinda Lageard

I first met Lucinda on my trial shift at COTC and was so inspired by her expertise behind the counter, being able to keep super calm under pressure whilst still making beautiful coffee. Lucinda helped me so much when I started at COTC, her training was so easy to follow and she really guided me on my journey to be the barista I am now. 

Girls Who Grind Coffee

Girls Who Grind Coffee are a womxn led specialty coffee roasters who work exclusively with womxn producers. They ensure to share the stories of their producers and celebrate the work they do. GWGC have a “cheek to cheek” scheme where they give 10% of the retail price of their coffee back to their producers. GWGC say they are “two thing, pro-coffee and anti-patriachy” and I love that mantra.

Holly Kragiopoulos

Holly is the Co-Founder and Director of North Star. I met Holly at an event at North Star and was so inspired by her vast amount of coffee knowledge. Holly is one of very few female certified Q Grader Taster, she certified in 2014. Q Graders are similar to a wine sommelier but for coffee, they score the quality of roasted coffee. Holly are participates as a member of the international jury for the Cup of Excellence.

I am inspired by Vava’s passion for changing what is considered the norms in coffee production that are rooted in colonialism. Vava’s book “Coffee Milk Blood” centers around the growers and producers of coffee in Africa and talks very frankly about how colonialism has affected the systems in place for coffee production in Africa. She asks the industry if they actally care about who they are buying coffee from or is the industry just interested in photos to perpetuate their own story. 

Agnieszka Rojewska

Agnieszka was the first ever female winner of the World Barista Championship in 2018, a competition that first began in 2000. I am inspired by Agnieska’s competitive energy that powers her to not only want to be the best but to win over men. She talks about how she feels it is so important for women to be visible in this male-dominated industry. She feels that despite their being so many women in coffee, we are often in the shadows. She says her win has “inspired a lot of other women to compete and they can be braver. They no longer feel as though it’s not for them. They can see that it is possible.”

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Kat