Canary Girl Coffee.co
When World War Two broke out, my great grandmother applied to the Woman’s Auxiliary Air Force where she discovered she was colourblind and didn't make the cut, but that didn't stop her. Eager to do her bit for the war effort, she entered the munitions factories, First Glasgow Iron Works which was being used to make rifles for the Armed Forces, but also Clydebank where she made tanks at the Singer Factory.
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During World War Two factory workers were called “The Bomb Girls”. I have always felt incredibly proud that my granny took on this tough work and challenged societies view that women could only succeed in domesticated roles. She grabbed the reigns of industry. Women like her welded, smithed, built ships and anti aircraft weapons. They proved that woman’s work did not start and end in the household.
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Granny always called herself a “Canary Girl” this was the original nickname given to the women who did my granny’s job in World War One. The nickname was derived from the yellow/orange colour that the workers skin turned, a side effect of working with TNT.
As history often views the past through a man’s looking glass, women and minority groups are often underrepresented or not represented at all. Our aim is to use our platform to celebrate those who didn't make the history books. You could say we want to rewrite her-story.
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We want traceability, a fairer coffee supply chain, one in which everyone gets the credit they are due, not just the barista who makes your morning latte. Where farmers, pickers, producers, exporters and cafe owners celebrate each others contribution to this wonderful industry.
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We have launched at this stage so that we can share our entire journey with you guys. As we meet our producers, suppliers and everyone else on this road so will you, because a little transparency goes a long way in the fight to bring down malpractice in the industry.
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We hope you enjoy watching us develop and grow so that we can achieve a fairer, transparent coffee industry from farm to cup, whilst celebrating the achievements of humanities finest.
With money raised, we will invest this into coffee roasting equipment and ethically sourced coffee with suppliers we know personally. Our aim is to build a system where coffee farmers are acknowledged and given the credit they are due, in an industry that vastly forgets them. Thank you very much for your support and helping me grow Canary Girl Coffee. Coffee made transparent whilst rewriting her-story.