Celebrating Women Who Grow the Future of Coffee

Daye Bensa’s First International Women’s Day with Women Farmers

On March 8, Daye Bensa Coffee proudly marked International Women’s Day in a way that reflects the heart of who we are, by standing beside the women farmers who nurture our coffees from seedling to cherry. For the first time, we gathered nearly 50 women farmers at Gatta Farm, creating a space of recognition, learning, and shared purpose.

These women are not new to Daye Bensa. Many have been members for years, contributing their labor, wisdom, and dedication through seasons of hard work. This celebration was our way of saying thank you and of reaffirming our commitment to empower women at every step of the coffee value chain.

Learning, Empowerment, and Recognition

The day brought together practical training and heartfelt celebration. Our partners from Ripple delivered hands-on sessions on harvest best practices and growing high-quality coffee, reinforcing techniques that protect quality, from selective picking to proper post-harvest handling. The Women and Children’s Affairs Office shared an empowering message on women’s leadership, resilience, and economic independence in farming communities.

To honor excellence, we also awarded the top five women farmers for cherry volume, recognizing consistency, care, and commitment to quality.

Voices from the Field: Three Women, Three Stories

Elfe Gata — Growing Together

Elfe Gata has been a member farmer for two years, cultivating coffee on 4 hectares in Hamasho Borena, with a plantation now five years old. She supplies cherries to the Hamasho Station and supports her family through farming.

“We’ve been working with this company for a while,” Elfe shared. “We support them, and they support us by giving seedlings, guiding us during harvest, checking our coffee, and training us on how to harvest better. We hope they continue helping us.”

Elfe’s story reflects partnership in action where shared responsibility leads to shared growth.

Asnakch Kafala — Quality with Purpose

From the Keramo area, Asnakch Kafala farms 2 hectares and has been a member for five years, supplying to the Keramo Adara Station. Her approach is grounded in discipline and quality: no unripe cherries, no overnight holding only careful, timely harvests.

“We had a good harvest year,” Asnakch said. “Today’s training taught us how not just to harvest, but to grow high-quality cherries and to share this knowledge with our neighbors and sisters. Now our production will only increase.”

For Asnakch, learning is multiplied when it’s shared strengthening farms and communities together.

Belaynesh Genene Gobena — Strength in Unity

Belaynesh, from the Bombe area, has been a member farmer for six years. She credits her progress to continuous training and the support systems built around women farmers.

“All the coffee we produce is through training,” she explained. “This is the first time women’s empowerment has played such a big role in women farming. The trainings, the second payment, and other benefits are very meaningful. I love the unity and I’m thankful to be part of this first celebration.”

Her words captured the spirit of the day: unity, gratitude, and forward momentum.

Looking Ahead

This gathering at Gatta was more than a celebration—it was a beginning. As our first International Women’s Day dedicated to women farmers, it set the foundation for deeper engagement, stronger skills, and greater recognition of the women who sustain our coffee communities.

At Daye Bensa, we grow coffee—but more importantly, we grow people, partnerships, and a shared future.