10 (More) Minutes With Helena Oliviero

10 (More) Minutes With Helena Oliviero

3 All-Women Coffee Roasting Companies that Are Changing the Game

The world of specialty coffee is still largely governed by men, but these all-female specialty-coffee roasters are helping to close the gender gap. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo courtesy of Lot Zero/7Gr As is the case for many commercial sectors, the world of specialty coffee continues to display gender disparity along the entire […]


Thread Coffee Roasters Opens Tailor-Made Roastery in Baltimore

The interwoven actions of Thread Coffee Roasters in Baltimore are finding exponentially more space this week with the grand opening of a brand-new production roastery and training lab. The worker-owned…


Cup of Excellence to Offer El Salvador Immersion Program

The immersion experience will allow participants to grow their knowledge on Salvadoran culture and coffee varieties. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of Cup of Excellence Cup of Excellence is launching a new learning opportunity in 2024: the Origin Immersion Program, to be held in El Salvador from February 26 to March 5. […]


Pick Your Pourover: Comparing and Contrasting the Most Popular Models

The Hario V60, Kalita Wave, and Chemex are three of the most popular pourover devices. Today, we’re comparing the three to help you determine which is the right choice for you. BY EMILY MENESES BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo by Julien Labelle via Unsplash Ah, the pourover—this tried-and-true form of brewing is sacred in the […]

10 (More) Minutes With Helena Oliviero

Understanding the Process: Double Fermentation

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Know Your Sweeteners: Agave: Part Two—Environmental Concerns

Agave has become an increasingly popular sweetener in the coffee industry. But is it as environmentally friendly as people claim it to be? BY EMILY JOY MENESESBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo sourced via Pixabay In recent years, you may have noticed an increase in demand for “alternative sweeteners” like agave. While today, the nectar serves […]


Medium-sized farms play an important role in specialty coffee

For many consumers and industry professionals, specialty coffee and direct trade are inextricably linked. Building strong and mutually beneficial working relationships between producers and roasters is often seen as a cornerstone of establishing a truly sustainable supply chain. So with this association between specialty coffee and direct trade, there can be a narrative of smaller-sized […]


The First Women-Only Coffee Championships Held in Costa Rica

Feria del Café Frailes seeks to increase the gender diversity of coffee competitions. BY SUNGHEE TARKSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Cover photo by Sunghee Tark The coffee industry has come a long way in the past 20 years, with innovations happening in many parts of the world and in different links of the supply chain. […]

10 (More) Minutes With Helena Oliviero

The Color of Coffee Collective Symposium Returns for Its Second Year

The collective and the nonprofit Koffee with Keith will hold their second annual symposium in Houston on March 10-12. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of the Color of Coffee Collective The Color of Coffee Collective (COCC) is an organization that seeks to promote equity and opportunity for people of color in the […]


4 Cool Cafés to Try Out in Bologna

Bologna, the Italian city home to the world’s oldest university, is traditionally famous for its food and drink—and it has some stellar specialty cafés. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash Bologna is home to the oldest university in the world and is the unofficial “capital“ of the porticos […]


The Barista League Releases New Competition Calendar

Presenter of sustainable, accessible events, The Barista League plans to hold 12 competitions in 10 countries in the months ahead. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of The Barista League The Barista League has officially announced its event roster for the next year. Last year saw 10 Barista League events worldwide, and the […]


Three Questions with IWCA Executive Director Blanca Castro

When International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Executive Director began her job years ago at the Guatemalan coffee association Anacafé, she knew next to nothing about coffee.  “I just pretended that…

10 (More) Minutes With Helena Oliviero

10 (More) Minutes With Helena Oliviero

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

10 (More) Minutes With Helena Oliviero

Today we continue our conversation with Helena Oliviero about her coffee career and life on a Colombian finca.

BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Photos courtesy of Helena Oliviero

Barista Magazine: Let’s talk about living on a Colombian coffee farm, Finca Palma Roja. How do you spend your days? What’s usually happening on a busy coffee farm?

Helena Oliviero: In a traditional Colombian finca, most of the coffee-related jobs—jobs that change throughout the year with the seasons—are still done by men. Fertilizing, planting, harvesting, cleaning with a machete, carrying heavy weights, processing, and drying coffee are just some of the hard manual jobs that must be carried out to make a finca productive. 

Helena and her husabnd sit in a corner atop an enormous pile of unroasted green coffee beans, both wearing brown aprons and smiling.
Helena, despite her experience and qualifications, has experienced sexism in both Europe and Latin America, but that hasn’t stopped her from being a difference-making coffee pro.

Traditionally, however, the role of a woman on a farm is more related to the care of the farm itself and the children, cooking, and cleaning. Every day, all year-round, the woman is the first to wake up to make coffee and prepare the wooden cooker. At 8 a.m. it’s time for the cooked breakfast (in this region it’s meat broth with potatoes and/or eggs, and a plate of fried plantains, accompanied by rice mixed with a legume), followed by a short break with something to drink (usually hot chocolate or agua panela, water with cane sugar). At 12 it’s lunchtime with soup, meat or fish, rice, potatoes, yucca, and plantain. Then, after the afternoon snack, around 5 to 6 p.m., it’s dinner time, again with rice, legumes, eggs, or meat.  

What is it like to be a young woman involved in coffee production? Do you find skepticism or mistrust? Do you find attitudes toward women changing?

I don’t see major changes internationally. There are countries where sexism is sneakier and others where it’s evident. I cannot say that I have found a better situation in Europe than in Latin America: Let’s not forget that I have been refused some jobs in Italy as a woman.

Helena hides behind a stack of huge striped bags of unroasted coffee beans in storage. She wears a ponytail and smiles.
Colombia, Helena says, felt like home right away.

A big difference I can see is the approach to children and pregnancy. Besides the law implemented to improve maternity, I find Latin America less stressful to be a parent. In Colombia, it’s normal for a woman to have a child, and for this child to be integrated into daily life. People around you, including men, tend to be more careful around a child and take small precautions so as not to endanger the kid. 

Besides this, I can tell what a coffee tastes like, and I can say how to change or improve a process. But as a woman, it’s very hard to tell a man what to do; they won’t pay me any attention.  

What are your goals for the next few years, in regard to Finca Palma Roja and your coffee career?

Winning green coffee competitions such as Cup of Excellence or Tierra de Diversidad, and having our coffee positioned in competitions and among the best of Colombia. I also want to strengthen the import of regional coffees and special lots. 

Have you always thought that one day you would leave Italy to move elsewhere? Have you always dreamed of it? 

I grew up as a European. If people ask me I say I’m from Europe, so there are no boundaries in the community. When I was younger I was dreaming about Japan, then I got fascinated by the Latin culture that’s a mixture of reality and magic. I was sure I wouldn’t stay too long in my city because I’ve always been eager to discover more. 

Helena cups unroasted beans to her nose for a sniff test. The beans are being kept in a plastic-lined barrel for storage.
Helena is a Q Grader and Cup Tasters champion. She has her sights set on more titles in the near future.

We’d love to know more about Helena when she’s not involved in the coffee world. What do you love to do? What are your hobbies?

I like hearing stories and learning from people. I like reading, walking, and watching the sea. I love traveling and discovering. And I like to take care of my daughter to make her grow up strong, independent, and empowered. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.

The post 10 (More) Minutes With Helena Oliviero appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

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