Vava Angwenyi on Race, Specialty Coffee, and the Urgent Need for Progress | Re:co Symposium 2020

Vava Angwenyi speaks on Race, Specialty Coffee, and the Urgent Need for Progress at Re:co 2020.

About the Presenter

Vava Angwenyi, Founder - Chief Coffaholic @Vava Coffee Ltd. (KEN) , Co-Founder - Director @Gente Del Futuro (TZ, COL, KEN), Founder-Partner - Pamoja - The Direct Trade Coffee Collective (UK)

In 2009, Vava Angwenyi started VAVA COFFEE – a Benefit Corporation (B-corp) with a Social enterprise model that exports, roasts and consults on coffee value chains, the organization aims to contribute to better future prospects for coffee communities and the industry as a whole. The company ensures sustainable livelihoods for the people and communities in which it works. Vava Angwenyi is also the co-founder and director business development & fundraising at GENTE DEL FUTURO (People of the Future). Gente Del Futuro formed in 2017 is an organization born out of a partnership between African Plantations Kilimanjaro, Vava Coffee Kenya and Oro Molido three private sector players within the coffee sector to tackle two of the main problems we face as an industry - Producer profitability and Next generation involvement. Gente Del Futuro’s focus is to amplify the voices of youth by creating economic empowerment, choices and sustainability for the coffee industry. The organization offers young people a unique and one of a kind learning opportunity by fusing coffee cultures and knowledge from three different growing origins : Tanzania, Kenya and Colombia. Ms. Angwenyi is also a founding member of PAMOJA - The Direct Trade Coffee Collective - a UK registered community interest company that has been established as the international marketing and distribution division for its members, coffee farmers. It is focused on building direct, cost-effective and fair relationships between its farmers and ethically aware international roasters.Vava holds a Masters degree-Msc in International Finance and Management from University of Groningen as well as Certificate in Global Asset Management from Warrington College of Business, University of Florida and a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics & Actuarial Science from University of Western Ontario- CANADA. Vava’s vision is to challenge the status quo and promote positive social disruption within the Coffee industry.

Vava is a CQI trained and certified Q grader Ms. Vava Angwenyi was part of the 2015 International Visitors Leadership Program a prestigious State Department sponsored program coordinated in conjunction with African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) and African women enterprise program International Visitors Leadership Program.

Vava a Cordes fellow 2017 and Global Social Benefit Institute alumni 2016, also serves as an Advisory Committee member for the Specialty Coffee Association’s (SCA) sustainability council and is also part of the SCA’s Event’s site criteria Ad-hoc committee. In 2019 she was elected to serve on the SCA Board of Directors serving on the Finance and Sustainability Committees. In 2019 Vava Coffee was recognized as a Best for the world community Honoree - B Corp.