Today is International Women's Day and to mark the occasion we're excited to announce one small way in which we're empowering women in the coffee industry at home and overseas.

You may know that, as a husband-and-wife team, Shiloh is run by Mark, who roasts the coffee, and Jean, who does most of the behind-the-scenes tasks like admin and VAT returns. They both work together on weighing, grinding and packing orders but until now Jean hasn't turned her hand to roasting.

That's all about to change as Mark is set to train Jean in the art of coffee roasting. And what better coffee for her first roast than a batch grown entirely by female producers?

We're pleased to have secured a batch of coffee from the Mujeres Mazateca Lot. Sourced from our friends at Raw Material, this coffee comes collectively from 74 female producers across the Sierra Mazateca area of Mexico.

With some of these women producing as little as 2.4kg per season, Red Beetle Coffee Lab, which they sell to, combines their coffees for export, giving them a selling power they would otherwise lack. It's Red Beetle's way of celebrating the hard work and results of some of the area's most underrepresented and under-resourced female producers.

The beans are still en route but once they arrive and Jean has got roasting, we'll be sure to let you know how you can get your hands on a bag of this wonderful coffee.