"It would be so great if you guys could also work in coffee." I have lost track of the amount of times I have heard that sentence over the past ten years or so. Also, I absolutely need coffee to keep me going every day. And so, at some point I started to look around at the possibilities of branching out towards the coffee sector.
Some first tentative steps were taken in 2019, but then a global pandemic got in the way. And then, about two years ago, the work started in earnest, together with "The Professor" Sjoerd Panhuysen - godfather of the Coffee and Cocoa Barometers - and his allround dynamo of an associate Frederik de Vries.
Collaborations are built slowly, so it's taken some time for the first contours to start taking shape, but in January of this year we had our kick off convening workshop. (A picture of some very cold coffee activists serves as proof). Since then, we've been working on seeing how we can align civil society organisations from both the global north as well as the global south.
We're still working on form, on membership, and on core asks. But the process of working on it is already so energising! This morning, we had our second face to face workshop, prior to a series of coffee meetings in The Netherlands and Denmark.
Our plan is to create a constant advocacy presence in the coffee sector, willing to be constructive where possible, but importantly to be critical where needed. And after a few years of observing, I would have to say that some pressure and criticism is most definitely warranted.
Keep an eye on this space. I will be more than happy to provide insights in our work at VOCAL (Voice of Organisations in Coffee Alliance). And do get in touch with me, Sjoerd or Frederik if you have any questions!
Abdulahi Aliyu Alexandra Benjamin Bart Van Besien Carla Hoinkes Mariana Broitman Niels Haak Etelle Higonnet Evelyn Bahn