Consultant Opportunity: Sustainability Research on Farmworkers
The Sustainability Council of the SCAA is searching for a consultant to conduct research on coffee farm workers and identify successful cases of labor management on coffee farms. Through interviews and workshops to take place in Colombia and Central America in the coming four months, this person will support the Council in learning more about …
Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love | An Excerpt
By Simran Sethi Specialty coffee, like craft chocolate, is a category that continues to evolve. The term “specialty coffee” was coined by Erna Knutsen during a 1974 interview in the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal. Erna, considered one of coffee’s living legends, used it to describe unique coffees from Ethiopia, Yemen and Indonesia that had …
Measuring the Carbon Footprint of a Coffee Business
Streamed live on Nov 10, 2015 SCA’s Director of Sustainability Kim Elena Ionescu, along with Salt Spring Coffee CEO Mickey McLeod, and Climate Smart Client Advisor Josh Caplan, discuss how to measure your coffee business’s carbon footprint.
Highlights of NCA’s Coffee Summit from SCAA Director of Sustainability
The National Coffee Association (NCA) Coffee Summit, held at the end of last month in Austin, Texas, was dedicated to sustainability discussions and digging deeper into key issues for the coffee industry. Participants split their time among activities that included self-directed group discussions, learning exchanges, directed interactive forums, traditional presentations, and more. Session topics included Sustainability Beyond Origin, Single-Serve and its Journey to a …
Research Update: The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei
By Emma Sage, Coffee Science Manager This summer, arguably one of the most significant advances in coffee science in recent years occurred, and passed quietly by, (that is, if you don’t frequently peruse scientific journals). In fact, in Scientific Reports, published by Nature Publishing Group, a study was published to announce the draft genome of …
Vital Signs: Indicators of a Healthy Market
In the latest video release from Re:co Symposium, Heather Ward, SCAA’s Research Analyst, and Ben Pitts, Vice President of Food Service & Hospitality for Royal Cup Coffee, give a relatively consumer-focused look at the specialty coffee industry, assuring us that the vital signs of the coffee market look positive. People like–and are willing to pay for–specialty coffee, …
University of California Davis Coffee Lab Grand Opening
By Eton Tsuno, Director of Coffee, Temple Coffee Roasters Inc. The University of California Davis officially opened their new coffee lab on Friday, October 22, 2015. This may sound odd, as coffee is generally not thought of as an academic subject, but at the University of California Davis it is taken seriously. UCD has a …
How Can We Make Coffee Better: Letter From the Editor
The specialty coffee supply chain is intricate and complex, consisting of many different and connected parts. Along this chain, coffee is vulnerable to threats that impact not only quality, but also its very existence. Every day, coffee fights for survival, confronted with erratic weather patterns, disease and pests, drought, as well as labor shortages and …
The CO2 Coffee Project: A New Model for Sustainability
By Kassy Holmes, The Rainforest Alliance In the coastal coffee-growing region of Oaxaca, Mexico, indigenous communities, conservation organizations, coffee traders, and cooperatives have come together to launch an innovative model for combating deforestation, promoting climate-smart coffee production, and fostering resilient livelihoods for farmers already facing the challenges of climate change. Oaxaca once exemplified Mexico’s diversity …
The Specialty Coffee Price Index: A Benchmark for Coffee Retailers
By Heather Ward, SCAA Research Analyst One of the first things a coffee customer does upon walking into a cafe is to look at the prices on the menu. Prior to entering, the customer may have an idea of what beverage they want to drink and what it might cost. But, they will always look …
The Importance of Research and Investing in the Future
By Hanna Neuschwander, World Coffee Research Deciding which variety of coffee to plant is perhaps the most important decision a farmer will make about his or her farm. It represents an investment of at least 10-15 years, often longer. The stakes are high. Will the variety be productive enough for the farmer to make a …
Climate Change and Resiliency in Ethiopia: A Fieldwork Journal
By Emma Sage, SCAA Coffee Science Manager In late April 2015, I was privileged to join a scientific field expedition of a climate resiliency project, led by coffee botanist Dr. Aaron Davis, Senior Research Leader of Plant Resources at Kew Gardens in London. I spent my leg of the trip, which was about a week …