Posts in Features
The SCA Officially Adopts CVA Descriptive and Affective Assessments as New Cupping Standards
The SCA Officially Adopts CVA Descriptive and Affective Assessments as New Cupping Standards

Following a preliminary release in June, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is proud to announce the adoption of three Coffee Value Assessment components as its official cupping standards: SCA-102 Sample Preparation and Cupping Mechanics, SCA-103 Descriptive Assessment, and SCA-104 Affective Assessment. These standards, approved by the SCA Standards Development Panel, supersede the 2004 Cupping Protocol and Form, advancing the SCA’s comprehensive approach to coffee evaluation. Use these free resources in your cupping practice at sca.coffee/value-assessment

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Announcements, Features, CommunitySpecialty Coffee AssociationCoffee Value Assessment
Meet the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) for Cuppers Course
Meet the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) for Cuppers Course

The Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) for Cuppers Course is a two-day, immersive professional development experience tailored specifically for coffee cuppers and other sensory professionals.

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Announcements, Features, CommunityGraceCoffee Value Assessment
Introducing the Next Phase of the Coffee Value Assessment
Introducing the Next Phase of the Coffee Value Assessment

After valuable input from 800 Early Adopters, community groups, and various industry stakeholders, we are progressing to the next phase of the SCA Coffee Value Assessment—the tool the global industry uses to discover value in coffee!

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Announcements, Features, CommunityGraceCoffee Value Assessment
The Coffee Value Assessment and Tools Expands to Two Digital Platforms
The Coffee Value Assessment and Tools Expands to Two Digital Platforms

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is proud to announce that the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) and its tools are now available to use in the digital space, on two platforms: the Tastify Web App and iOS/Andriod application, CatadorCVA. The online platform Tastify and the next generation of the Catador cupping app, CatadorCVA, have adopted the CVA for digital use.

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Announcements, Features, CommunityGraceCoffee Value Assessment
Announcing World of Coffee Jakarta 2025!
Announcing World of Coffee Jakarta 2025!

World of Coffee Jakarta marks the first World of Coffee trade show in Indonesia and focuses on a deep-rooted connection to one of the largest coffee-producing and exporting countries in the world. Indonesia ranks as the fourth largest coffee producer in the world and the second largest in Asia. Indonesia, renowned for its esteemed coffee-growing regions such as Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi, offers a rich tapestry of flavors and traditions that are deeply ingrained in its coffee heritage.

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Announcements, Features, News & Events, ReadSpecialty Coffee AssociationAnnouncements, World of Coffee, World of Coffee Jakarta, World of Coffee Asia
Announcing the 2023 SCA Annual Report
Announcing the 2023 SCA Annual Report

Last year was an exciting and inspiring year for us at the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). Throughout 2023, the hard work of many enabled us to engage in research, develop standards, expand education, create events, and design experiences with a global reach—all in service on our continuous journey to fulfill our association’s commitment to make coffee better.  Dive in to the newly published 2023 SCA Annual Report

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Community, Features, News & Events, AnnouncementsSpecialty Coffee AssociationAnnouncements, Membership, Community
The Specialty Coffee Association is Launching a New Membership Model
The Specialty Coffee Association is Launching a New Membership Model

In 2024, the SCA will introduce the first major overhaul to its membership program in decades. The new model will focus on providing value and connectivity to the growing international community, enhanced features for companies, and new pricing structure.

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Community, Features, News & Events, AnnouncementsSpecialty Coffee AssociationAnnouncements, Membership, Community
Now Accepting Nominations for the 2024 Sustainability Awards
Now Accepting Nominations for the 2024 Sustainability Awards

We’re thrilled to announce that nominations are now open for the 2024 Sustainability Awards! The deadline to submit an application is January 31, 2024. The 2024 Sustainability Awards will recognize for-profit and non-profit organizations that advance sustainability in the coffee sector while inspiring others to design and initiate similar endeavors innovations.

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Features, Community, AnnouncementsSpecialty Coffee AssociationSustainability Awards
Registration Now Open for 2024 Specialty Coffee Expo!
Registration Now Open for 2024 Specialty Coffee Expo!

Registration is now open for 2024 Specialty Coffee Expo taking place in Chicago, USA next April. Expo is North America’s largest B2B event for specialty coffee professionals and will be taking place at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago from April 12-14, 2024.

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News & Events, Announcements, Features, CommunitySpecialty Coffee AssociationExpo, Expo 2024, Announcements, Community
The Future is Velvety Smooth: Modernizing the South Indian Filter | 2023 Re:co Fellow Feature — Raghunath Rajaram
The Future is Velvety Smooth: Modernizing the South Indian Filter | 2023 Re:co Fellow Feature — Raghunath Rajaram

2023 Re:co Fellow RAGHUNATH RAJARAM, co-founder of Aramse, links their work to revive and modernize the South Indian Filter to the concept of value creation, reminding us that solutions to existing or emerging problems may already exist—and that they may hold the key to keeping more value where it’s created.

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Features, ReadGraceRe:co 2023, Re:co Fellows 2023
Gentrification, Specialty Coffee, and Third Wave Cafés in Portland, Oregon | 2023 Re:co Fellow Feature — Dennis Cote
Gentrification, Specialty Coffee, and Third Wave Cafés in Portland, Oregon | 2023 Re:co Fellow Feature — Dennis Cote

2023 Re:co Fellow DENNIS COTE, an ALM (Master of Liberal Arts in History) graduate candidate at Harvard Extension School, shared some of their thesis work on specialty coffee and gentrification in Portland, this year’s host city, from 1995-2020.

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Features, ReadGraceRe:co 2023, Re:co Fellows 2023
An Invitation to Re-generate Our Sustainability Approach: Re-think/Restore/Replenish | 2023 Re:co Fellow Feature — Olga L Cuellar-Gomez
An Invitation to Re-generate Our Sustainability Approach: Re-think/Restore/Replenish | 2023 Re:co Fellow Feature — Olga L Cuellar-Gomez

2023 Re:co Fellow OLGA L CUELLAR-GOMEZ, a social entrepreneur working with extensive experience structuring sustainability projects, reflects on the industry’s recent focus on green house gas (GHG) emissions and offers a methodology to ensure farmers’ voices and perspectives are integrated into new sustainability initiatives.

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Features, ReadGraceRe:co 2023, Re:co Fellows 2023
Brewing a Robust Future: Harnessing Diversity and Equity in the Specialty Coffee Industry | 2023 Re:co Fellow Feature — Garry Johnson III
Brewing a Robust Future: Harnessing Diversity and Equity in the Specialty Coffee Industry | 2023 Re:co Fellow Feature — Garry Johnson III

2023 Re:co Fellow GARRY JOHNSON III, the Founder and CEO of BVP Coffee Co., sheds light on the significance of Black history, the value of diversity, the importance of equity, and the role of education in fostering inclusivity. Here, he explains how embracing diversity and pursuing equity can lead to a robust and sustainable future for the specialty coffee industry.

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Features, ReadGraceRe:co 2023, Re:co Fellows 2023
Social Innovation: A Design Tool to (Intentionally) Create Value
Social Innovation: A Design Tool to (Intentionally) Create Value

In the third in a series of features on sustainability frameworks and their relationship to the SCA’s sustainability agenda of equitable value distribution, SCA Sustainability Director ANDRÉS MONTENEGRO explores the concept of “social innovation.”  

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Read, FeaturesSCA StaffInsight, Sustainability
Re-engaging Puerto Rico Through Values, Respect, and Education | 2023 Re:co Fellow Feature — Arnaldo Gratacos
Re-engaging Puerto Rico Through Values, Respect, and Education | 2023 Re:co Fellow Feature — Arnaldo Gratacos

The coffee industry in Puerto Rico is an integral part of the island's culture and identity, and the motivation to be better every day is crucial to the local economy and the well-being of communities. 2023 Re:co Fellow ARNALDO GRATACOS, a young Puerto Rican specialty coffee entrepreneur and educator, is on a mission to revitalize the island’s coffee industry: here, he shares a little of its history and offers a path forward.

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Features, ReadGraceRe:co 2023, Re:co Fellows 2023
Participate in the Extrinsic Assessment Survey
Participate in the Extrinsic Assessment Survey

The five-minute SCA Extrinsic Assessment Survey is your chance to collaborate with the Specialty Coffee Association and play a pivotal role in shaping the ultimate Extrinsic Attribute list for Coffee Value Assessment. Take the survey today.

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Announcements, Features, Community, News & EventsGraceCoffee Value Assessment, Survey
Doughnut Economics Webinar
Doughnut Economics Webinar

SCA Sustainability Director ANDRÉS MONTENEGRO hosts a conversation on doughnuts & coffee with ERINCH SAHAN of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab; discussing how embracing the circular economy can lead the coffee sector to a sustainable future and make coffee better, for all. Register on Zoom for Thursday August 17, at 4pm BST.

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Read, FeaturesSCA StaffInsight, Sustainability
The Coffee Science Foundation Releases New Specialty Labor Research
The Coffee Science Foundation Releases New Specialty Labor Research

The Coffee Science Foundation is excited to announce this output from a project intended to understand the role of labor in specialty coffee.

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Read, FeaturesSCA StaffResearch, Coffee Science Foundation
Beta Version of the Coffee Value Assessment Protocol and Forms Unveiled at Re:co Symposium
Beta Version of the Coffee Value Assessment Protocol and Forms Unveiled at Re:co Symposium

Earlier today, SCA CEO Yannis Apostolopoulos formally introduced the beta version of the SCA Coffee Value Assessment on the Re:co Symposium stage, a thought leadership event that takes place prior to the Specialty Coffee Expo in Portland, Oregon. Yannis also unveiled an Early Adopter program designed to help the SCA refine the system’s protocol and forms through community feedback before it moves through the SCA’s standards development procedures.

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Announcements, Features, News & Events, Read, Recap, CommunitySpecialty Coffee AssociationCoffee Value Assessment
Coffee and a Doughnut: Understanding “Circular Economy” Frameworks
Coffee and a Doughnut: Understanding “Circular Economy” Frameworks

In the second in a series of features on sustainability frameworks and their relationship to the SCA’s sustainability agenda of equitable value distribution, SCA Sustainability Director ANDRÉS MONTENEGRO explains the concept of the circular economy through the use of a doughnut-and-coffee metaphor.

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Read, FeaturesSCA StaffInsight, Sustainability