What Is It Really Like to Be a Woman in Coffee? (Isabela Raposeiras) | EP1121 Part 1 of 5 | Map It Forward
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Episode Description
**CONTENT WARNING:** This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, sexual harassment, physical violence, intimidation, misogyny, and abuse of power. Some of the personal experiences shared may be distressing for listeners. Please use your discretion when listening.
This is part 1 of a new 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. Our guest on the podcast for this series is returning guest Isabela Raposeiras, founder of Coffee Lab in Brazil.
The theme of this series is "Being 'Not a Man' in Coffee," and we're opening a conversation about what women experience in the coffee industry, the behaviours that have been normalised, and why so many women feel unable to speak openly about what's happened to them.
In this first episode, Lee and Isabela share deeply personal and confronting accounts of sexual assault, harassment, intimidation, and abuse of power within the coffee industry.
Lee recounts two experiences shared with her by women in the industry, including a young employee who was allegedly assaulted by her employer during a business trip and another woman who described repeated sexual assaults by her boss while feeling financially trapped in her employment.
Isabela shares her own experience of being sexually assaulted by a senior executive at a coffee company in Brazil, and the devastating discovery that, according to information subsequently shared with her, other senior men at the company had discussed and anticipated the encounter.
Together, they explore the culture that allows these experiences to go unchallenged, the fear of professional retaliation, the silence of bystanders, and the difficulty women face in being recognised as professionals rather than being judged or objectified because of their gender.
This is not a conversation about hating men. It's a conversation about understanding what women experience in coffee and challenging an industry that too often allows unacceptable behaviour to continue without accountability.
The question that runs through this series is simple: What can we do?
We encourage everyone in the coffee industry, particularly men, to listen to all five episodes and share this conversation with their colleagues.
Connect with Isabela Raposeiras and Coffee Lab:
Coffee Lab: https://www.instagram.com/coffeelab_br/
Isabela Raposeiras: https://www.instagram.com/isabela.raposeiras/