Inspiring Woman - International Women's Day

On International Women’s Day we celebrate every woman on the planet, 3.905 billion of us! 

As a B certified Corporation we are constantly changing and adapting to improve and better ourselves. At the Roastery over half of our team are women which is why we find it so important to talk about it at the same time.

We would like to raise the importance of positivity and respect towards each other on this special day working in a business that meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

One of the Sustainable Development goals is focusing on gender equality, which is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Alongside the importance of positive attitude, being an equal valuable part of the world stands for something bigger than just our own success. Coaltown as a team, no matter what we are working on, always add value to those around us so together as a team we can develop new and innovative green practices that benefit not just the consumer, but the coffee industry as a whole. Empowering others will naturally empower you.

“Those who embrace positivity not only empower themselves. Their positivity frequently empowers those around them as well. Positivity breeds positivity, providing people with energy, enthusiasm, and encouragement.”

For International Women’s Day we have been thinking about the inspiring women around us and how our very own Buddug inspires us with her infectious good energy and positivity.

We have asked her a few questions, here they are:

Tell us about yourself and what you do on a day to day basis? 

I am Buddug and I am the production and fulfilment team leader. Overall I am overseeing the day to day running of the department. Making sure that the orders go out correctly and on time. Tuesdays are our biggest roast days so my very first job today is to weigh all the green coffee out so Gary can just keep on roasting all the different blends and single origins. 

When did you start working for Coaltown and what was your first job role? 

I started working for Coaltown in November 2018, 2 days after the Roastery opened, with absolutely zero experience in the specialty coffee industry. Everything was new to me from pulling a shot to texturing milk and a lot more.. so my journey as a trainee barista began that day! It was a crazy, fun and exciting time finding my feet as a fledgling barista, but I gained an awful lot of knowledge in a short period of time. From those manic, magic couple of months, I knew I'd made the best decision making the leap into the unknown, to join the Coaltown Family.  

How does a day look like in your role, tell us about working closely with head roaster Gary? 

Apart from overseeing the day to day production, I work closely with operations to manage inventory, manufacturing coffee and despatching orders throughout the day as they arrive. Cupping is one of my favourite parts of working in the department. Discovering new roast profiles and tasting coffee from all over the world is very exciting, there is so much to it. I evaluate our coffee levels and allocate roast schedules for Gary, our roaster; I order most coffees as and when we have orders on for them, to guarantee the coffee is fresh when arriving with our retail and wholesale customers. 

How would you describe working in a male dominant environment? 

Coming from working in an Utility Arb background, it's always been a traditionally male dominated industry. I'd fully accepted this when I chose to pursue tree work as a career; the physical, outdoor aspect of the job was my favourite (the 'danger' element also suited me as I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie!) I also knew I would have to work harder to prove I could do the job and acceptance would be hard to get. Keeping this in mind, (most) of the guys I worked with were super supportive and treated me like one of the lads, which I loved. There were a few guys that made work feel like a chore and that was the main reason I left the industry. When I moved into the production area from the espresso bar, I was expecting the same kind of vibe, but how wrong was I?! There was so much warmth and I am super lucky to be working with such a supportive, nurturing team.  

What time do you start and what do you do first? 

I typically start my day at 7:50 and the intravenous line of the staff, the batch brew, is the first piece of equipment that gets switched on. I tend to choose a coffee with "Juicy Banger" tasting notes, that's my fave kind of coffee. Other staff members prefer chocolatey tones, so I do mix up what's on offer throughout the week. 

Do you have a routine that you follow? 

After caffeinating the team, I'll turn my attention to the retail orders. I'll print out the right amount of labels we need to manufacture and pack finished goods, for orders that are on the system. This makes sure we don't have excess inventory and wastage. I'll then go over to our manufacturing desk to see if I need any coffee; at this point I'll work out Gary's roast schedules for the day. About midday, we have our coffee subscription orders come through; these include a filter and espresso roast subscription that change on a monthly basis. Around one o'clock, we'll jump on the wholesale orders; we get our local delivery run orders ready for Wednesday and Thursday. Our wholesale partners further afield are despatched by a next day courier service.  

What does B corp mean to you in the production area? 

We were one of the first B corp certified roasters in Britain. Before we became B corp certified I was not necessarily thinking consciously about the waste that we created during the day to day processes. After becoming B corp certified, it heightens your awareness of what is going on in the bigger picture. It makes you reduce your spending, your unnecessary usage and waste. Since then we have all been trying to do our bit to help make the world a better place by reducing unnecessary needs. 

Do you feel empowered within your job role? 

Yes definitely! The company gave me a chance to prove that I can learn something new, and after achieving it I had the opportunity to try myself out at the production area and I'm proud to say that I am leading a team now!