YAKIMA, WA - Some stories just tell themselves. I always feel this way when working with Cat Gipe-Stewart. Her passion, playful but direct language, and investment in her evolution and the development of others are remarkable things to witness. In the lead-up to the Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference, April 13–15, in Carlsbad, California, the Director of Marketing for Superfresh Growers® joins me to share how deep her dedication lies in elevating and supporting the industry.

“I owe past Women’s Fresh Perspective conferences credit for giving me a safe space to speak my truth, feel supported, and know that I am not alone,” Cat begins. “Though the percentage of women in produce and agriculture continues to grow, the number sitting in the ‘room where it happens’ is not keeping up with this growth. Women continue to be in the minority in decision-making power in companies. These conferences give women a chance to breathe, share perspectives, and learn they are not alone.”

Cat explains Women’s Fresh Perspectives is one of the few, if not the only, events in this industry where she can be her authentic self, speak openly, thrive, and share her stories.

“Women have always been in the produce industry, but often in behind-the-scenes roles. My grandmother, ‘the wife of a farmer,’ kept the books, ordered the fertilizer, and labored alongside my grandfather,” Cat explains. “When I was a young teen, I got the four-wheeler stuck in a ditch after spraying noxious weeds. My 70-plus-year-old grandmother was the one who pushed me out.”

Turn the mirror to today, and Cat tells me that when she first came into this industry, she was struck by how many stories women shared of how they had to fight to get where they were.

“It was so daunting hearing the blatant sexual harassment, slurs, or even just being ignored that they had to go through. But, these were the women who paved the way before the ‘me too’ era. These are the women that inspired and empowered those who spoke up and created the ‘me too’ era,” Cat expresses. “I am so pleased to hear how the tables are turning. Old school behavior is now seen just as that. The industry is breathing equity into the industry, and more space is being made for women to continue to rise and break glass ceilings.”

Cat reflects on a panel held at the WFPC she led in 2022, where a Hewlett Packard report and a Cornell University study were addressed. The information revealed that men will apply for a job or promotion when they are 60 percent confident they are qualified.

“Women, however, wait until they feel they are 100 percent qualified. I think about glass ceilings that have yet to be broken for women, and I think about how many women are not supporting that woman due to their own lack of confidence. We sabotage ourselves and our friends and colleagues by not believing in ourselves,” she says. “I was recently at a youth girls retreat, and one of the leaders shared with our middle and high school youth that if they plan on having romantic relationships with men, make sure these men give them space to grow and be themselves, and make space for them. This idea of actively creating and supporting women as they grow can often feel like a rarity.”

This is where calling upon ourselves to use our unique lenses to empower each other is important, Cat adds.

“As industry colleagues, we are called to make space for the next generation. Mentor, teach, step back, encourage, sponsor, engage. There are so many mentors and sponsors who have made the space for me to be where I am now. By creating space, they made the fight to continue breaking glass ceilings just a bit more possible.”

See what I mean? Cat is a force. And this force is helping elevate us all.