Thomas Haigh and Q grading for gender equality

By Zeinab Makki

Thomas Haigh, owner of Roastery at Tate Modern in London. Credit: Instagram

It all started with a cup of coffee in Sydney nine years ago. Thomas Haigh from Derbyshire was backpacking through Australia when he drank what he says was his first ever “good cup of coffee.” The few sips which would determine the future of this certified Q grader and the Head of Coffee at the Tate Britain – the museum home to some of London’s finest artwork and a roastery fighting for gender equality.

Behind the Tate Britain gallery in Westminster, after you make your way past the old hospital buildings which are now used as offices, you will find yourself in front of a World War Two Nissen Hut home to the network’s “Gender Equality Coffee Project” and “Slot Roasting Collective.”

When he isn’t visiting coffee producers in Guatemala or Honduras, Thomas Haigh makes his way to the Roastery at Tate - which he manages -  from 7:30 in the morning to operate this “non-profit and coffee driven” business.

“The Gender Equality Coffee Project was created to give recognition to the real line of balance between gender and equity,” Haigh says. According to his research, 70 per cent of the work in coffee chambers is done by women who would earn only approximately 15 per cent of the trade of beans and land. Many female coffee producers lack access to resources, marketing, avenues of sale, and voices at the household level, according to Haigh.

“Throughout my time in coffee, roasting coffee, buying coffee and drinking coffee, I became very aware of how male-dominated the industry is,” Haigh says, “So we designed a way of sourcing and engaging with coffee production that represents that 70 per cent.”

Before joining the Tate coffee team in 2015, he was the head roaster at the Climpsons and Sons Café for five years. “Initially I just loved coffee. I loved being a part of this story that was bigger than me.

I liked the idea of being thrown into a far-off land and being a part of that journey. Now I see coffee more as a tool to make change happen in a positive way,” he smiles.

Today, Haigh’s passion lies within promoting gender equality in the coffee industry. He is a strong believer that “equality lies at the heart of the sustainability of this industry and every industry."

By travelling with his team to coffee producing countries such as Brazil and Colombia four to five times a year he has built relationships and friendships with local coffee producers. Part of Haigh’s work includes developing projects with women and families in these origin countries to create “exportable volumes of coffee at cost-effective means for them”. He stresses on the scale of the issue that women face in exporting their coffee out of their countries.

When speaking of his work in helping local coffee producers his eyes are glistening through his large, round glasses resting on his nose. Even as he recalls the “not-so-pleasant” time he was bitten by a dog in Bogotá, Colombia and was rushed to the hospital to receive 10 injections for rabies, his excitement remains unchanged.

70 per cent of the coffee bought by the Tate is grown by women and 30 per cent is grown by families “who equitably share household income decision making”. The Roastery produces 25,000 kilos of coffee a year which is sent to the other Tate galleries nationwide (including Liverpool and Cornwall) and is not used for wholesale.

Aside from travelling the world and operating the Roastery at the Tate, Haigh is a spokesperson on gender equality in the coffee industry. As an international development student, he uses his expertise to contribute to wider conversations on development and gender and coffee. By giving talks, such as the recent one he gave on Equality Control at the annual Caffè Culture Show, or sitting in on webinars and conference calls with international partners to discuss equity projects, Haigh is continually contributing to the industry he is most passionate about.

“We are trying to work with men and women of all backgrounds in the coffee producing communities that we work with to talk about the importance of gender equality and gender equity.”

Although it is his work at the Tate that has allowed him to create avenues for coffee producers worldwide, Haigh wants to continue to contribute to the conversation and safeguard the future of this industry.

“Over half of coffee producers live in poverty and with the growth of climate change, there’s a real sense of insecurity in the future for them. I want to help people at the bottom end of the coffee production ladder,” he says, “Unless we look at things collectively I don’t think the industry is going to be around forever, there needs to be some kind of acceleration in conversation.”

Haigh admits that his world doesn’t only revolve around coffee and using it as a tool to present people with avenues. He is also a fan of art galleries, photography, and travelling. Luckily, his role as the Head of Coffee at the Tate allows him to fulfil all of his interests through the job.

So how does a gender equality fighting, head roaster prefer his daily coffee? “Filtered, black, no sugar or milk. Straight, like a purist”.

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