“The Voice that Cries Out in the Desert.” A reference to the town’s patron saint, this is the poetic name chosen by a group of 20 indigenous Tzutujil, Kakchiquel and Quiche Mayan farmers in the district of San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala, for their newly-formed cooperative in 1977. Over thirty years later, what they created …
by Carolyn Fairman, Chief of Staff, SCAA For years now, SCAA and its member organizations have been creating greater awareness about the issue of hunger. You might ask, “What does hunger have to do with coffee?” Unfortunately, the answer is “a lot.” 800 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hunger—and many of them are coffee …
by Tracy Ging, Director of Sustainability, S&D Coffee Sustainability is a tricky thing to define. Much the like the term “specialty,” the more you try to define it, the more elusive the concept becomes. I’d rather leave it open-ended, and make room for the possibility that even once the right words are found, there will still …
Who are you and what do you do in coffee? My name is Arnulfo Leguizamo. I am trying to be the best coffee grower and to produce the best coffee in Colombia. How and when did you get started in the coffee business? I became a coffee grower early in my youth. My father …
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), the world’s coffee authority and largest coffee trade association, presents its 2014 Sustainability Award to Twin, a UK-based ethical trading organization, and collaborators for their project Congo Coffee Revival: Regenerating Communities by Linking Remote Farmers to Mainstream Markets. This annual award honors individuals, businesses and organizations in the …
Can the world’s growing appetite for unique coffee save Brazil’s specialty coffee farms? by Aleszu Bajak Brazil, long known for being one of the world’s leading producers of bulk commodity coffee, is now trying to make a name for itself as a country where smallholder farms produce specialty coffees. But low wholesale prices and limited international …
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) has released the official slate of candidates for the 2014 Board of Directors Elections and members should review candidate profiles below prior to voting. Voting will open February 19, 2014; ballots will be distributed through email to all eligible voting members. Voters must be the primary contact for a current …
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and the European Coffee Brewing Centre (ECBC) have announced their renewed cooperation on the coffee brewer certification program through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The ECBC and SCAA are neutral trade organizations and therefore the ideal stakeholders in the coffee industry to serve as non-biased and reputable evaluators …
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) announced today that they will be collaborating on an improved Coffees of the Year (COTY) program with the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE). While the official COTY program will remain on hiatus for the 2014 SCAA Event in Seattle, WA, ACE will present an exhibition of compelling coffees representative of …
by Ric Rhinehart, executive director of SCAA Each year it is my task (and my pleasure) to write a note for inclusion in this issue of The Specialty Coffee Chronicle. With each passing year, I find myself considering not only what is new and exciting for this year’s Event, but, more and more, reflecting on …