What I Know For Sure by Lisa Colon, CEO, InterContinental Coffee Trading
Women in Coffee
W
hen I was asked to write for the Women in Coffee column, I thought, “What does ‘Women in Coffee’ mean?” How do we identify who are the Women in Coffee? Are they women producers, baristas, coffee roasters, or are they women traders? What I know for sure is that I am a Woman in Coffee. I am a woman trader, partner and founder of the specialty green coffee trading company InterContinental Coffee Trading aka ICT Coffee located in San Diego, California.
slurping and spitting, their ties wrapped around their necks. What struck me most during that time was when I realized that there were nine traders and all were men. The impact of that realization became my primary motivation - to become a trader, a leader or just one of the “guys” on the trading desk. I think a lot about those times and the paths that I crossed to get to where I am fighting, laughing, crying and hoping.
My story began in 1986 when I was hired to manage the coffee position for Farr Man Coffee, a subsidiary of E.D. & F. Man based in 2 World Trade Center in New York City. I fell in love with the coffee industry the moment I walked into the trading room. The energy, the passion, the people, the different languages being spoken in the background, the smell of the cupping room and the men
In 1988, I was offered an opportunity to work for a coffee brokerage company, C.E. Bickford & Co. During that time, Bickford was a massive player in the coffee industry, moving 2 to 3 million bags annually. Most importers and roasters purchased and sold coffee through Bickford. Bickford was just as strong on the west coast as they were on the east coast. In 1990, I became the first woman broker at Bickford and was given the opportunity to sit at the trading desk. It was a significant breakthrough for Bickford, allowing me, a woman, to become a coffee broker. This experience was life-changing for me because it taught me the fundamentals in trading green coffee and it was the start of earning respect from my colleagues and counterparts. As a result, I developed strong working relationships nationwide that are still in place today. Without my experience in Bickford, and the long-lasting relationships I formed, who and what I have created today would have never happened. In 1995, I moved to California with my family. My son was born premature, and he needed extra care. Staying at home with my son was a necessity that now birthed a home-based business. I found myself at a crossroads, knowing no one would hire me because of my limited availability. There was no flex time during that era. Four months later, one of my suppliers called me to tell me that he had not sold any coffee since I left New York. He offered 2,000 bags of Colombian Excelsos, and I sold it in five minutes. That was the start of Euro Latin Link, Inc., my brokerage firm, I ran for ten years. In January 2009, I co-founded InterContinental Coffee Trading (ICT Coffee) in Westlake Village, CA. My vision was to create a company that stood out. The original business model was to operate a modern-day small specialty coffee trading company that offered a wide variety of coffee to microroasters. Customer care was always a top priority in our business model. The challenges and struggles of operating a business, let alone a woman-owned company, only helped me grow stronger and think bigger. My team and I continue to build an innovative, forward-thinking specialty green coffee company of which I am proud.
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In February 2017, ICT Coffee became a proud partner of the Hamburg Coffee Company Group (HACOFCO). Our combination of expertise and commitment to quality and customer service has allowed ICT to experience rapid growth and to become a major supplier of quality coffees to clients ranging from micro-roasters to large multi-national corporations. So, when we talk about women in coffee, what I know for sure is that I am a woman in Coffee. I am a woman trader, partner and founder of ICT Coffee located in San Diego, California whose most significant achievement was to be accepted and Lisa Colon, CEO, respected as a woman trying to excel in the coffee InterContinental Coffee trade that was run by men. Trading May/June 2019