Barista Perspective | Getting Involved at The Event
by Bronwen Serna, Vashon Coffee Company, Western Regional Barista Champion 2002-2003 Every year, around springtime, I look forward to attending the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s annual exposition, The Event. I’ve been attending since I started in the coffee industry in 2000, and have found that it provides a wide variety of professional exploration for attendees. …
Roaster-Retailer Perspective | Connect, Learn, Discover
by Marcus Young, relationship coffee manager, Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers The SCAA Event is a massive and thrilling spectacle of specialty coffee. With a little planning, and a lot of flexibility, The Event is the best chance for roasters and retailers to connect with peers, taste coffee prepared by the best baristas in the world …
Roaster-Retailer Perspective | Getting the Most out of The Event
by Nathanael May, coffee educator, Portland Roasting Coffee I had been in coffee for nearly a decade by the time I went to my first SCAA Expo, and even that experience did not prepare me for what I saw. How could there be so many different roaster manufacturers, or roasters, or barista gear retailers, or green …
Roaster Perspective | Going Places? Start Here
by Mike McKim, founder and CEO, Cuvée Coffee When I started roasting coffee in 1998, I was not able to find a lot of information or education. Let’s face it, roasting coffee is not one of those professions that spawns a bunch of how-to books. I was fortunate enough to have a mentor who gave …
QC Professional’s Perspective | Network, Learn and Share at The Event
by Rob Stephen, senior trader for InterAmerican Coffee SCAA’s annual Event is entering its 26th year. Since its inception, many early SCAA members have enjoyed long and varied careers, which have spanned several segments of our industry. For example, I have had the opportunity to attend the show as a retailer, a roaster, a green …
Importer Perspective | Creating a Common Language of Service
by Joe Marrocco, Café Imports Our consumer base not only seeks out the specialty coffee industry for our delicious offerings, but for an elevated service experience. Simply having good or consistent coffee is not good enough in today’s world; our entire industry was born out of a desire for deeper connections between people. Roasters want …
Farmer Perspective | The Producer Experience at The Event
by Miguel Zamora, director of coffee innovation and producer relations, Fair Trade USA The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Event is the premier coffee event of the year. It’s a rare opportunity for coffee professionals from all over the world to share their experiences, learn from one another, and work together to find solutions …
Exhibitor Perspective | Big Fish in a Small Pond: Be Seen at Expo
by Brant Curtis, Wilbur Curtis Co. Nobody likes a showoff — or so they say. If there were one venue in which it was socially acceptable to truly show off, I submit to you that a trade show would be the place. When you are proud of what you have built or have to offer, …
Exhibitor Perspective | Making Connections, Closing the Loop
by Joyce Klassen, Baratza For Baratza, SCAA’s annual conference really is the event of the year. It’s the time when we get to connect face-to-face with both long-time and potential customers and friends, and to turn those 2D relationships into 3D relationships. During the year, we may connect over phone, Twitter, Facebook, etc., but actually …
Associate Perspective | Five Reasons Your Nonprofit Should Attend The Event
by Kristina Morris Heredia, communications and marketing coordinator at Coffee Kids While this article is seemingly about five reasons your nonprofit should attend the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s annual Exposition, The Event, it really comes down to one reason: community. The Event is a wonderland of coffee paraphernalia, businesses, producers, connoisseurs, as well as …
Associate Perspective | Celebrate, Connect and Contribute! Doing Good at Expo
by Kimberly Easson, JavaVentures In 2005, I was on the board of directors when SCAA became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and committed to being a partner in addressing some of the world’s thorniest global issues — food security, maternal health, climate change, education, and poverty alleviation. Whoa — who us? It’s kind …
Investing in People
by Rosemary Trent, executive director of Pueblo a Pueblo “Sustainability” is an interesting word, and one that is used all the time when we talk about the coffee industry. But, like many buzzwords, it means different things to different people. The dictionary defines sustainability as “the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting …