The production of coffee from growth to processing, roasting and packaging is a strenuous ordeal as the beans can be tampered with during multiple stages. The term Specialty can be slapped onto any coffee which can hurt the consumers who pay for a premium product and instead get a subpar one. For this reason, associations and groups were formed to control and help coffee farmers and producers. The biggest and most well reputed of these organisations is the Specialty Coffee Association, affectionately known as SCA. Officially started in 2017, the Specialty Coffee Association has grown into the biggest international non – profit organisation for coffee, or more specifically for specialty coffee.
You might be thinking, “It’s coffee, why would you need a whole association for it?” … or not. Well, in any case, let’s get into it.
What is SCA and where did it come from?
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is the largest global coffee trade association in the world right now. They are dedicated to fostering a global coffee community and support activities that make specialty coffee a thriving, equitable, and sustainable endeavour for the entire value chain, from farmer to consumer. Before SCA there were two major groups for specialty coffee. Mainly the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) who would meet up in London. The former was established in 1982 and the latter in 1998. Both groups can be described as a common forum where coffee farmers, professionals and essentially anyone who represented the specialty coffee field got together to discuss and come up with solutions for problems in the industry while also establishing industry standards. By 2016 both groups had about 10,000 members combined. The SCA that we know today formally began in 2017 with the merging of SCAA and SCAE.
As specialty coffee came more into the spotlight, focus shifted. The realisation that coffee can have complex flavours opened new doors for the industry. Information such as the bean’s origin, processing method and other details were given more importance.
What does SCA do?
Playing a vital role in the Specialty Coffee Industry, SCA aims to foster a collaborative and progressive approach, creating a community and driving responsible and sustainable farming practices. They also play a crucial role in elevating the standards of coffee and providing value to a growing global community. Some of their achievements that have left a huge impact on the community are
Setting Quality Standards:
Their standards cover various aspects of coffee production, from farming and processing to roasting and brewing, ensuring high-quality standards throughout the supply chain. Currently SCA's 100-point scale is the industry standard for assessing coffee quality, with scores of 80 and above considered specialty grade.
Fostering a Global Community:
The SCA brings together professionals from all parts of the specialty coffee value chain, from farmers to baristas, fostering collaboration and innovation. Global membership and events, like World of Coffee, provide platforms for networking, knowledge exchange, and industry development.
Promoting Education and Knowledge Sharing:
SCA offers various educational programs and certifications for professionals in the Specialty coffee industry, from baristas to roasters and beyond. They fund research, events, and publications, facilitating the sharing of knowledge and best practices within the specialty coffee community. SCA's ethos of sharing knowledge helps build a global community and supports the sustainability and success of the specialty coffee sector.
Events
The Specialty Coffee Association organises a lot of coffee-based events. The World Coffee Events, or WCE for short, is a subsidiary of the SCA. Responsible for organizing the World Coffee Championships, namely -
World Barista Championship: Considered as the most prestigious competition for baristas worldwide. Participants need to prepare various coffee drinks namely espresso, milk drinks and their own signature creations within the time limit of 15 minutes. These drinks will then be judged by a panel of certified judges which includes sensory judges who evaluate the quality of the drinks, focusing on flavour, aroma, and mouthfeel of the coffees. Technical judges assess the participants technical skills, such as precision while working with the ingredients, workflow efficiency, and cleanliness. Finally, the head judge will give an overall score ensuring consistency across all judges' scores on taste, technique and presentation and will provide a calibration point.
World Brewers Cup: This competition tests the Participants ability to get the best flavour out of different filter coffees. The event focuses on brewing filter coffee using a variety of methods, including the V60, Chemex, AeroPress, and more. While they are allowed to bring and use specially selected coffee beans, they must also brew from the same beans provided to all the participants and extract the best flavour from them. The judges are usually experts in coffee and sensory evaluation with certification from the World Coffee Championship (WCC).
World Cup Tasters Championship: This competition tests the participants ability recognizing and distinguishing different coffees. They must find the cup that contains a different taste from the other two in the shortest time possible. There will be 8 sets of 3 cups, and they will only have eight minutes to find the odd one out. In the event of a tie, the participant who finished faster wins. The participants are judged by certified judges who have to pass a specific two-day test-based certification course by World Coffee Championships. The judges are experts in coffee tasting, responsible for evaluating the competitors' ability to identify differences in coffee samples.
World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship: promoting innovative beverage recipes that showcase coffee and spirits in a competition format, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship highlights the barista/barkeeper’s mixology skills in a setting where coffee and alcohol go perfectly together. Participants prepare coffee cocktails, from traditional Irish Coffee (with whiskey and coffee) to unique cocktail combinations. This competition requires barista skills, mixology skills and creativity.
World Latte Art Championship: Focusing on artistic and visual attributes this competition celebrates the creativity of latte art. Participants must give an on-demand performance creating impressive patterns and images in milk foam on espresso, which are then judged by an expert jury. They will be judged based on visual attributes, creativity, identical patterns in the pairs, contrast in patterns, and overall performance of the Barista.
World Coffee Roasting Championship: This competition is all about the roasters. A 3-stage event, participants will be evaluated on their coffee grading, how well they develop the roast profile, and ultimately the taste during cupping. The competition goes on for several days where they will evaluate the quality of green beans, do a test roast and finally reproduce it as accurately as possible for the competition.
World Cezve/Ibrik Championship: One of the oldest tools for making coffee is the Ibrik or Cezve, a cup-like vessel with a long stem instead of a handle. Usually made of copper or brass it is the main vessel used when brewing Turkish coffee. This competition showcases the rich cultural heritage that coffee came from and encourages participants to also showcase elements of their tradition and heritage during the performance.
Community
With around 30 chapters worldwide, SCA has become the most reputed and influential non-profit organization for specialty coffee. SCA has become a global community comprised of local communities who all believe that coffee is more than a commodity. They come together to develop and exchange knowledge, network, share their experiences, and to make coffee better. The World of Coffee event, for example, is used to both show coffees from around the world and is used to host the competitions mentioned above. SCA Chapters and Competition Body Partners are run by local professionals dedicated to engaging the community in their region by offering leadership, coffee competitions, educational events, and other activities that support the growth of specialty coffee.
SCA Accreditation
What does it mean to get SCA accredited? SCA has standardised the requirements against which the coffee industry is held. And they do not just make the standards they teach others how to reach and maintain those standards as well.
SCA certifications sets the global standard for excellence in coffee education, and they are globally recognised. For this reason, around 80,000 aspiring and established coffee professionals do their best to acquire these certifications.
With a global reach of 89 countries across 6 continents, and courses available in almost 40 languages, SCA provides a clear path for learners, trainers, and campuses to engage with coffee education and build thriving careers.
Coffee Skills Program, for example teaches essential coffee skills through hands-on training. From foundational barista techniques to advanced sensory analysis, it helps you gain skills you can immediately apply in the industry.
Entering the world of specialty coffee can be confusing due to the overwhelming amount of information, and so, to make things easier for the aspiring barista, Flava will be having a Barista Skills class by working with the Italian Barista Academy as part of our community outreach and skill development program. Three courses for different levels – Foundation, Intermediate, and Professional. Foundation for those who want to dip their toes into coffee making; Intermediate for those who have started going down the rabbit hole of entering a Barista career. And last but not the least, Professional, for those who are ready to get closer to the deep end.
As the world is constantly evolving, so does specialty coffee, and the Specialty Coffee Association is searching for new talents to take up the specialty coffee world by storm. Know someone who’s obsessed with making coffee in new ways? Encourage them to look into being a Barista, preferably a SCA certified one. Who knows, after all, the kid scribbling on a paper today could be a Banksy in the future!