ASHANTI KPOETA, Ghana – From dozens of farms nestled among the hills of Ghana’s Volta region to the cafes and restaurants of the capital, Accra, the women farming and marketing Ghanaian coffee are working to gain a firmer foothold in the small but growing sector.
Benedicta Tamakloe, a former computer science teacher and founder of the Accra-based roaster Bean Masters, decided to help by working with female farmers who were struggling in the male-dominated sector. “We want to ensure we’re getting the best beans possible,” Tamakloe said to Isha Pagniw, owner of a farm near the top of a forested mountain on Ghana’s eastern border with Togo where a group of women were plucking bright red coffee fruit from branches dappled by the morning sun.
The collective produced around 10 metric tons of coffee last year, much of which Tamakloe roasts herself at a chocolate factory in Accra. A portion of the proceeds funds development projects in the villages where the women farm.