Success to Significance with Margaret Swallow, pioneer for women in international coffee industry

Margaret Swallow devoted 23 years in the corporate world mastering the intricacies of brand management and strategy at P&G with five years working on Folger Coffee brand. She was successful by every conventional measure: a career on an upward trajectory, influence, and a reputation as a trusted leader. But, for Margaret,  success wasn’t enough. It was a crisis that became the turning point. A global crisis within the coffee industry revealed a hard truth to Margaret: billions of dollars flowed through an industry that started with small, family-run farms—families that were often overlooked in the economic equation. For Margaret, this revelation resonated deeply. “It starts with families,” she said. “Growing families were part of my essence, whether biological or the family I became part of through life. That, for me, became my coffee family.” So, Margaret left the corporate world to answer a louder calling: to create significance through the very industry that had captured her heart. She joined the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI), leveraging her skills to help families around the globe. Margaret’s efforts were far-reaching, but they started small—with a ripple. Margaret, who had developed training programs at P&G, saw an opportunity to bring that experience to the nonprofit world. She designed a Women in Coffee Leadership Program, modeled after the Marketing Director College she had once spearheaded. But this program wasn’t just about theory; it was interactive, practical, and transformative. From 2005 to 2006, Margaret’s program took root, inspiring the creation of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA). www.womenincoffee.org The IWCA’s ripple began as a single chapter in Costa Rica. But Margaret, inspired by the Rotary Club’s model of local chapters, envisioned something far bigger. Today, there are over thirty IWCA chapters worldwide, each empowering women in coffee-growing communities to receive funding directly—without intermediaries. “It’s about families helping families,” Margaret said. “And it’s about enabling local leaders to take charge of their own futures.” The ripple effects didn’t stop there. Margaret worked with the University of Maryland to establish an alternative break program. Starting in 2010, students traveled to Los Andes, a coffee farm in Guatemala, to experience the harvest firsthand. Over a decade, hundreds of students learned not just about coffee but about the lives and resilience of the families who cultivate it. “I wanted to connect people to a place I’d send my own family,” Margaret reflected. And she did just that. For Margaret, it wasn’t just about building programs; it was about fostering relationships. One of those relationships was with Phyllis Johnson, who co-founded the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity, further expanding the industry’s impact and inclusivity. Margaret’s work inspired others to create ripples of their own, each wave building on the last. When asked if she would have followed this path without the crisis, Margaret’s answer was measured. “I think so. But the crisis crystallized the need. It made me ask, ‘Where can I make the greatest difference?’” And Margaret’s blueprint for creating significance? Start with understanding the need, she advises. Commit realistically and execute with excellence. Whether it’s a small epiphany—a "little e"—or a life-altering one, she emphasizes the importance of starting where you can and growing from there. Would she do it all again? Margaret smiled. “I wouldn’t change a thing. Those 23 years at P&G prepared me for this work. They gave me the tools, the confidence, and the perspective. Everything I’ve done since then has been about giving back, about creating a ripple effect that matters.” And now, the rest of her life is still unfolding, one ripple at a time. Margaret Swallow—a woman who traded success for significance—is proof that the best part of waking up is finding meaning in your cup. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/success-made-to-last-legends--4302039/support.