Black Friday and Cyber Monday mark the official start of the holiday shopping season! There’s a chance that if you started your holiday shopping spree in New York City you saw the famed Barney’s New York display window decorated with something a little unexpected. Standing picturesquely and looking out at passing shoppers is the figure …

Written by Ric Rhinehart, Executive Director SCAAI must confess that I have generally regarded coffee as a beverage that is best consumed on its own merits, although admittedly coffee and a biscotti, beignet or Voodoo donut provides a pleasant enough taste experience. The concept of pairing coffees and foods in a setting comparable to a …

In an age where more and more people are thinking about their impact on the natural world, it’s refreshing to see more companies partnering with the coffee industry to make a difference. Recently, American Airlines began serving 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified Java City coffee as part of their in-flight beverage plan. Serving the coffee, a …

Nominations for the SCAA Board of Directors for the 2011-2012 year are now being accepted. The Nominating Committee will be evaluating candidates and creating an election slate for the following:Directors: One new seat and four seats up for re-election*Officer Position: Second Vice-President**If you wish to nominate someone for consideration, please review these guidelines:• All Directors …

We would like to take a moment to congratulate all the coffee category finalists for the 2011 Good Food Awards.**Allegro Coffee Company – Panama Esmeralda (Thornton, CO)**Alterra Coffee Roasters – Guatemala Hunapu (Milwaukee, WI)**Barrington Coffee Roasting Company – Ethiopia Nekisse (Lee, MA)**Blue Bottle Coffee – Kemgin (San Francisco, CA)**Carrboro Coffee Company – El Aguacate (Carrboro, …

Last week we posted about our trip to Costa Rica to attend and exhibit at the 24th Annual Sintercafe. It was a wonderful trip, and we wanted to follow up with some new photos! Ellie, our Director of Professional Development, also noted what an honor it was to meet the President of Costa Rica, Laura …

With over 30 million monthly pageviews and 9.7 million unique monthly visitors Mashable is without a doubt one of the largest online news sites dedicated to social media and they are currently accepting nominations for their 4th annual Mashable Awards. There are numerous categories such as “Best Mobile Device” and “Most Creative Social Media Campaign” …

We would like to take a minute to congratulate Grounds for Health on the recent selection of their new Chair of the Board, Frank Dennis. Dennis had previously held the position of Grounds for Health Treasurer for three years. He also brings years of experiences running his own company; he is the CEO of Swiss …

M&M’s whirlwind tour through the streets of Seattle brought them to the doorsteps of some of our fantastic members. Over their six day stay in the Emerald City our dynamic membership duo managed to stop in and visit six SCAA members in their own shops and roasteries. It’s always refreshing to see people practicing their …

Sintercafe’s international coffee week starts tomorrow in San Jose, Costa Rica and runs through November 14th. Are you planning on attending? If so, be sure to stop by the SCAA Booth (#16) to learn more about membership, upcoming events and just to say hi to CQI’s Alex Katona and SCAC’s David Piza.Alex will also be …

In case you missed the explosion of tweets, Facebook statuses, and blog posts, the 19th annual Seattle Coffee Fest (59th Coffee Fest overall) was held from October 29th to the 31st in the beautiful Emerald City. The SCAA’s own dynamic membership duo, Maria and Mansi, spent six days soaking up all the fantastic coffee culture …