Many of the world’s coffee genebanks are underfunded and under threat, yet the future of coffee depends on protecting these precious genetic resources. So what would a better global conservation system look like in the future and how can the industry support it? In a humid tropical forest that shrouds a sacred mountain on the …
We know we know coffee, and we think we know our customers, but for the past several years, the Specialty Coffee Association has been determined to parse the complicated relationship that consumers have with the specialty coffee industry. These continuing efforts aim not only to better understand our current share of the market, but also …
By Kim Elena Ionescu The year was 2005, Expo was in Seattle, and the first sustainability award was given by the SCAA to a project of Starbucks and Portland Roasting named Las Nubes Sustainable Coffee. Twelve years later, we’re back in Seattle and it’s another especially significant year for the Sustainability Award. In 2017, the …
By Kim Elena Ionescu The creation of the Sustainability Center is a milestone for the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and for the entire specialty coffee community. We know from surveys, volunteer leaders, and everyday experience that this community is full of passionate, knowledgeable, active people who pursue sustainability every day and at every stage …
As part of its mission, SCA is actively involved in sustainability and looks to its members to take leadership roles in sustainable practices within the specialty coffee sector. With this in mind, the Sustainability Award was created in 2003 to promote, encourage and honor the efforts of those serving as role models through sustainable projects in …
By Kim Elena Ionescu Almost eight years ago, a piece of trivia about boiled potatoes completely changed the way I prepared my coffee (not to mention a bunch of other foods). A colleague of mine approached me at the lunch table, and related having heard that heating the water to boil a potato required more …
By Russ Kramer Specialty coffee customers expect the best. It’s the current state of the industry. The end user demands complex, distinctive flavor in every cup. It is important for our industry to understand that producing great coffee requires selecting coffee fruit from the “grand crux” producing regions of the world, and controlling their transformation …
By Nora Burkey One of the most inspiring conversations I had this year was inside of a small room at the Georgia World Conference Center with Michael Sheridan, Kim Elena Ionescu, and Carla D. Martin, where we discussed the issue of coffee farm workers. Malian Lahey, a coffee farm owner in Hawaii, stood up to …
By William Garde In the winter of 2009, I was in South Africa with a missionary—little did I know the short trip we were about to take would change my career path. Piling into the Land Rover, we soon passed a sign that read “Zimbabwe.” Only ten years had passed since I had visited Zimbabwe, …
By Katherine Nolte Gender equality is a human aspiration, not a women’s initiative. Imagine a world where opportunities are free from stereotypes associated with being masculine or feminine. Imagine a world where the work of a stay-at-home dad is valued equally to a career as a roaster-owner, VP trader, or senior finance professional. Imagine a world …