Real Solutions from Women Across Coffee’s Value Chain: A Panel Discussion at SCA 2025

Hosted by U.S. Women in Coffee (USWIC) + Covoya

As the coffee industry continues to navigate complex global challenges—from climate disruptions to

evolving trade regulations—cross-sector collaboration is more critical than ever. At SCA 2025 in Houston, the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) is proud to present a panel that brings together women leaders and allies from across the value chain to share what’s working, what’s needed, and how we move forward—together.

Panel Details

📅 Sunday, April 27, 2025 📍 IWCA Community Lounge – Room 352B

Open to all SCA attendees

Real Solutions from Women Across Coffee’s Value Chain: Addressing vulnerabilities while promoting possibilities through cross-sector collaboration

This panel is hosted in partnership between U.S. Women in Coffee (USWIC)—the U.S. Chapter of IWCA—and Covoya, a company committed to equity, quality, and sustainable sourcing in coffee. The session will spotlight practical strategies and lived experiences from professionals representing diverse roles in the industry: from production and importing to roasting, retail, and education.

Panelists Include:

Yimara Martínez Agudelo, Coffee Quality Institute
Erin Wang, Philz Coffee
Byron Holcomb, Covoya/OFI
Katherine Morris, Cherry Coffee Shop & Novel Coffee Roasters
Ana María Donneys, Café Primavita
Moderator: Maria Cleaveland, Urnex Brands, LLC

Moderated by representatives from USWIC and Covoya, the conversation will explore both the challenges and breakthroughs shaping the future of coffee—especially for women. Topics will include access to capital and markets, education and leadership pathways, and how collaboration across sectors can drive meaningful, lasting change.

Meet the Panelists:

Yimara Martinez Agudelo

Yimara is part of the Education team at the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI), where she serves as the Manager of the Post-Harvest Processing (PHP) Program. Based in Olympia, Washington, she has deep roots in coffee. Originally from Tunía in Cauca, Colombia, she is both the daughter of smallholder coffee producers and a coffee producer herself.

With over 15 years of experience in the coffee industry, Yimara has worked across nearly every stage of the supply chain, specializing in quality control and education. In her multifaceted role, she has acted as both a producer and an instructor, empowering coffee producers in various countries. Yimara holds distinguished credentials as a Q grader, Q Processing Expert, and instructor for the CQI Q Processing program, where she delivers specialized training for both Arabica and Robusta coffee worldwide.

Maria Cleaveland Maria is a food and beverage and hospitality professional with business development, strategic planning, finance and operations expertise. A veteran of the early specialty coffee scene, she has built wholesale and licensing businesses at Starbucks, Peet’s & Equator Coffees.

Notably, Cleaveland managed Starbucks’ initial expansion into US airports and brings an entrepreneurial spirit to every project. Currently she advises BrewBird, a venture backed company reinventing “single-serve” coffee for the 21st century and serves as Sales Director for the Americas at Urnex Brands, the global leader in specialized cleaning for the coffee sector. In her roles, Maria advances sales with technical acumen while advancing gender equity in her volunteer leadership positions.

She is a member of the Board of Directors for the US Women in Coffee, a chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Association (IWCA) and recently served on the Leadership Council of the Coffee Technicians Guild. In 2019, started the Lift & Learn workforce development platform with help from the broader coffee community to help train the next generation of coffee technicians.Instagram @zoomerpc

Ana María Donneys

Ana María Donneys is a fifth-generation coffee producer from Quindío, Colombia, and the founder of Café Primitivo, a specialty coffee company focused on producing, processing, and exporting high-quality, differentiated coffees. She is also a certified Q Grader and holds a degree in Business Administration, with postgraduate studies in Innovation and Business Development, and a Master’s in Coffee Agribusiness.

Ana María is passionate about professionalizing coffee farming and creating inclusive opportunities in rural areas, especially for women and youth. As President of IWCA Colombia, she has found a global network of support and inspiration, working to build meaningful connections and bring visibility and opportunities to women in coffee across Colombia.

Byron Holcomb

Byron likes to say he is a strong generalist in coffee because he has worked in every sector of

the supply chain, from farmer to barista. His coffee journey stated in the Dominican Republic as a Peace

Corps Volunteer for 2 years in a small town with no power called Los Frios. Later he entered the industry

as a production assistant sweeping the floors at Dancing Goats in Atlanta in 2006. Fast forward a few

years and he left a green buying job in New York to run two coffee farms in Brazil. He was there for

almost 6 years and each year the farms made it through the COE national jury and often made I through

the international jury as well. All this to say he isn’t an expert at any single part of the chain but knows

how they fit together. He is certified a QProcessing 2 and 3. His current role is the Regional Specialty

Manager for Olam Food Ingredients based in Guatemala City.

Katherine Morris

Katherine Morris is the Owner and CFO of Cherry Coffee Shop and Novel Coffee Roasters, based in Fort Worth.A Fort Worth native and TCU alumna, Katherine knows that to run a successful business in the hospitality industry you have to strike a balance between entrepreneurship and altruism to find the hidden harmonies between your company's need for a healthy bottom line and your community's desire for care and service.Katherine strikes that balance and finds those harmonies.With a robust finance, non-profit, and hospitality background, her nearly 17 years of experience taught her how to build and maintain relationships that ensure growth and accountability while fostering kindness.When she’s not creating masterful spreadsheets, you can find Katherine supporting her favorite local small businesses.

Erin WangSenior Manager, Coffee Buyer & Quality – Philz Coffee.

Erin Wang is the Senior Manager of Coffee Buying and Quality at Philz Coffee, where she oversees strategic sourcing and quality programs. She began her coffee career as a barista in 2004 and has since held a variety of roles across the supply chain, including time living and working at origin, as well as in importing and the non-profit sector. She holds a degree in Managerial Economics from UC Davis and joined Philz in 2021, bringing together her background in finance and sensory work—plus a chance to round out her experience on the retail and roastery side of the supply chain.

We invite you to attend, ask questions, and bring your voice into the conversation.

About USWIC

U.S. Women in Coffee (USWIC) is the U.S. chapter of IWCA Global. We are a growing community of coffee professionals working across the supply chain to support, elevate, and connect women in coffee—locally and globally.

About Covoya

Covoya combines the idea of collaboration, which is the cornerstone of our business, and voyage, which speaks not only to the story behind every cup of coffee but coffee journeys of every kind.

Coffee is a collaborative voyage.

Covoya is a shared journey.

As a team and with our partners we are on a journey of continuous learning, always moving towards change for the good. In fact, we seek out and welcome change, within our business and within the coffee industry.

Every voyage is new. Each customer is a voyage as we seek to understand how we can best serve their business and make their story a success story. That’s how we do specialty.

Learn More About Covoya