The Women’s Coffee Alliance-India launches the spirited seventh ‘Coffee Santhe’ at Freedom Park on Friday.
Credit: DH photo
The Bangalore-based Women’s Coffee Alliance – India (WCAI), the India chapter of International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) commenced the seventh edition of their ‘Coffee Santhe,’ a three-day event on Friday at Freedom Park.
The Coffee Santhe serves as WCAI’s primary fundraising event to empower women coffee plantation workers with a ‘coffee twist’ every year.
WCAI Secretary, Poornima Jairaj spoke about the organisation’s commitment to empowering women plantation workers. She specified how farmers are entering roasting, retail, and cafe ownership - bridging the gap from farm to cup. Home brewing is also on the rise, with consumers opting for freshly ground beans, reflecting India’s evolving coffee culture.
The event provided a platform for various perspectives from coffee brands, artists and enthusiasts. “Indians are ready for high-quality coffee,” said Rohan Mammen from Badra Coffee.
“India is known as a tea-drinking nation, but with the cafe culture coming up - as people work and meet in cafes, India is seeing development in coffee production,” he added.
“There is also a growing trend of traceability and sustainability, with consumers seeking about the origins of the coffee, and stories behind the production of it,” stated Mammen.
Harsha M from Cothas Coffee explained how they introduced varieties like cold coffee, milkshakes, vending machines and small gadgets adhering to the likes of GenZ.
“When we sell, our distributors are all women entrepreneurs - you won’t find us on Swiggy, Instamart, Zomato, or Zepto,” stated Madras Kaapi Club.
They also expressed concern over the impact of climate change on coffee production, noting, “With so much climate change happening, we don’t know if traditional coffee-growing regions will continue to yield the same produce.”
The highlights of the event include Women Stars Brewing Championship, Robusta Brewer Skills Championship with an international panel of judges, Cheers to Coffee and a cupping event along with entertainment, staging performances of Saroj Kashyap, Padmini Ravi, Navin DJ, Table for 4 Band, live art, coffee wordle and other games.