#ShesTheRoaster Celebrates Women Coffee Roasters ?

Let’s be honest, 2016 hasn’t been the best year. The hate and negativity that we’ve seen over the past 300 days has really reached an all-time high, so much so that John Oliver dedicated the season finale of his show to telling 2016 to kiss all of our collective grits. It feels like we’ve spent the past year saying, “it doesn’t get any lower than this. We’ve finally hit rock bottom,” only to follow up shortly with, “well, we stand corrected.”

But there has been some positivity this year, and coming from social media no less, where all compassion for humanity goes to die. #ShesTheRoaster is a hashtag being used to celebrate the women behind coffee’s heavy machinery.

Gender inequality is not a new issue for specialty coffee, especially as folks advance in their careers past working the behind the bar. In the essay “Removing Barriers: Empowering Women in Coffee” for The Coffee Woman, Jenn Gallegos notes this is in part because of a “perceived lack of opportunity due to different working styles, absence of female mentors, and gender double standards can make career advancement challenging for women.”

#ShesTheRoaster is highlighting the women in coffee that have overcome this opportunity gap and who are setting examples for other females trying to advance in the industry. The heartfelt praise attached to the #ShesTheRoaster posts have been a breath of fresh air and positivity in a time when we all could use it most, so we’ve rounded up some of our (publicly posted) favorites; we’re shouting out the shout out, if you will.

You're a lucky city, Houston, to have Lexi @greenwaycoffee! #shestheroaster pic.twitter.com/JUurbBnHrC

— Genuine Origin (@genuine_origin) November 18, 2016

RG (USA) started a social media hashtag campaign. please participate and post a pic of a woman roaster. Sample roaster, production roaster, popcorn poppers – it is all welcome. the goal is to make us visible and recognize emerging leaders in our industry. we need more women roasting instructors, judges, ec members, management…. all of it!!! thank you cut and paste the following in your post: Please join me in supporting and recognizing women coffee roasters throughout the world. Post a picture of a woman in any roasting position with the hashtag #shestheroaster. Encourage others to do the same. #shestheroaster #specialtycoffee #likeagirl

A post shared by Eva Gefvert Nordell (@eva_coffeeroast) on Nov 20, 2016 at 6:40am PST

This is Leslie, our head roaster. She's a badass. #shestheroaster Please join us in supporting female coffee roasters throughout the world!

A post shared by Ritual Coffee Roasters (@ritualcoffee) on Nov 17, 2016 at 4:38pm PST

@robotshorton roasting up a storm for our weekly cupping. Swing by next time you're in town! #shestheroaster #womenincoffee #specialtycoffee #cafeimportseurope #girlsruleboysdrool

A post shared by Cafe Imports Europe (@cafeimportseurope) on Nov 17, 2016 at 9:14am PST

Join the movement by using the hashtag #shestheroaster. The Universe needs all the positivity you can muster right now.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network.

*top image via Batdorf & Bronson

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