Analysis of women’s participation and opportunities for growth in coffee value chains in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, but just how it is produced – and by whom – is still misunderstood.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Green Invest Asia, a technical facility to increase private investment in sustainable agricultural and forestry businesses in Southeast Asia, conducted an eight-month study in collaboration with International Women’s Coffee Alliance to learn more about the role that women-led businesses play in the coffee value chain in Southeast Asia, their competitive advantage and opportunities for growth in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The coffee sector has come under increased consumer pressure to produce more and better-quality beans. Coffee’s popularity has grown in traditionally tea-drinking countries while consumers’ more refined tastes worldwide demand higher quality. Southeast Asia’s prominence as a global coffee exporter has grown in recent years, with Indonesia and Vietnam ranking among the world’s top coffee producers.

That women play a large role in coffee value chains globally is widely known, but research has mostly focused on women at the producer level. Data remains scarce throughout the value chain. As the coffee industry faces challenges of changing land/growing conditions, consumer tastes and market demands, we ask: How can women be more integral in the solutions?

This is not an exhaustive or definitive study. Rather, it offers domestic and international coffee buyers insight into the potential opportunities and competitive advantages provided by women-led coffee businesses in Southeast Asia.

USAID Green Invest Asia
May 2019

DISCLAIMER: THIS DOCUMENT IS PRODUCED BY USAID GREEN INVEST ASIA AND MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID). THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF USAID O R THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.