The Specialty Coffee Association is a nonprofit, membership-based organization that represents thousands of coffee professionals, from producers to baristas all over the world. Built on foundations of openness, inclusivity, and the power of shared knowledge, we foster a global coffee community and support activity to make specialty coffee a thriving, equitable, and sustainable activity for the entire value chain.
Diego Campos, Colombia — World Barista Champion
Matt Winton, Switzerland — World Brewers Cup Champion
Kyoungha (Charlie) Chu, Australia — 2021 World Cup Tasters Champion
May 20-22
Returning as an In-Person Event at UC Davis, CA, USA
June 23-25
World of Coffee is heading to Milan, Italy this June.
June 23-25
Five World Coffee Championships Head to World Of Coffee in Milan
Identifying inequitable value distribution as a key root cause of the 2018 price crisis, the summary of work highlights opportunities to work towards a more equitable specialty coffee industry.
The Coffee Systems Map outlines the relationships between key actors and actions in the specialty coffee industry, illustrating the complexity of this global value-generating ecosystem.
The most recent output of our community impact survey focuses on the science of airborne disease transmission, including practical tips and strategies for minimizing risk and increasing safety in coffee businesses.
Now available in the Coffee Retail Summit resource library: nine videos from June’s summit offered in the CEST timezone.
Stephen Morrissey speaks with Roland Horne about WatchHouse’s rapid expansion and diversification, the challenges this poses, tactics for standing out, and the reason for the brand’s inception in 2014.
Specialty coffee thrives on big visions, but successful retail coffee businesses thrive on more than vision alone.
Growing from a specialty coffee takeaway shop to a 500 shops in seven countries requires learning as you go, designing customer experiences, and—of course!—not being afraid of change.
Branding, events, digital engagement, packaging, anchor visuals in the design of the space: is investing in all these things critical for success in a market more accustomed to the novelty of latte art?
Einar Holthe, Founder and CEO of Fuglen, shows us how retail can serve as a model for ways to improve cityscapes and build sustainable value chains beyond coffee.
Lynsey Harley’s story provides insight on how to take chances and approach futureproofing your retail coffee business.
With so many data points in the National Coffee Data Trends Specialty Coffee Breakout Report to consider, what are some of the main takeaways for coffee retail businesses to keep in mind?
Learn more about the benefits and opportunities of expanding your opening hours and your offerings through coffee, wine, food, and hospitality.
Minimizing the negative impact of our designs, specifications, and construction methods on both human and planetary health is more important than ever.
Watch Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association, welcome Coffee Retail Summit’s attendees to a program focused on three main topics: Navigating COVID-19, Business of Coffee, and Building Your Brand.
Planning helps entrepreneurs avoid the trap of running businesses that neither make enough money nor let them do what they love.
When your staff feel valued, your customers feel valued. This session focuses on the importance of your internal structure, systems, and culture.
Stephen Morrissey speaks to Lara Marrero about the future of retail design and what it might mean for the coffee retail marketplace.
We’re joined by analysts from Rabobank who will cover trends in non-alcoholic beverages and how they might apply to coffee retail, alcohol and wine market innovation and adaptation during the global pandemic, as well as the overall beverage shift to e-commerce and different models in the direct-to-consumer space.
What are the fundamentals and economics of a coffee retail business from an investor's perspective?
In the final episode of the Systems Map Discussion Series, we look at brewing and roasting with coffee professionals working in these activities. You can watch the video recording here.
Last week we looked at all things exporting in episode #2 of our new discussion series. This week it's time to explore the other side of the coin—importing! Join us for the latest episode in our series about the Coffee Systems Map.
Episode #2 of the Systems Map Discussion Series is all about exporting. Through these conversations we hope to better illuminate the various relationships and gaps in our awareness, ultimately leading to a better understanding of how the entire coffee system works and who it works for.
To dig deeper into the Systems Map and the various connections it explores, we're launching a discussion series organized around the central activities of the map — beginning with farming and processing.
The CTG is kicking off a new season of Ask The Pros in 2022, with episodes streaming February through March!
As a beverage equipment technician, we can see many different types of machines that heat water. These are espresso machines, drip coffee machines, tea brewers, hot chocolate machines, hot water machines and others. Servicing a machine with a heating issue begins with understanding the heating circuit, its path, and the parts in the path.
What sets apart one technician from another? What are the two different paths a technician can choose to take? And what lessons can we learn from Greek mythological figures Prometheus and Epimetheus?
How many techs does it take to turn a bolt?
From managing your fellow humans to financial literacy and digital tools, setting up a service department is a skill in itself. If you’ve been tasked with founding or leading a service department for a roaster-retailer, this one’s for you. (And if you enjoy brilliant tech-based jokes, this one may also be for you…)
Today we are celebrating new members on the Leadership Councils for our three guilds: Barista Guild, Coffee Roasters Guild, and Coffee Technicians Guild!
Once upon a time at an unnamed company in an unnamed city, a coffee company opened a new café. They had exotic tastes in espresso machines and had purchased a beautiful, completely unheard-of model directly from a boutique European manufacturer. The crate was opened with care, the machine lifted onto the counter, and the whole staff gathered around to admire it.
“Hey,” said a bright young barista. “That machine doesn’t have a UL sticker on it.”
And at that angst-filled moment, the manager of the new café suddenly got very curious about UL. Could the machine be installed? Was it legal? Was it safe? And what, just exactly, was UL?
In any system where steam is generated, there is always a possibility that over-pressurization can cause a catastrophic failure of the pressure vessel. This could result in destruction of property, injury, and loss of life. This is a bad day no matter how you cut it.
Learn about the good old pressure relief valve, and how it can save you and your espresso machine a whole load of bother.
It’s exciting to see so much interest in the testing and reporting of water quality among technicians these days. Let’s talk about what a TDS meter actually is, what is measures, what it doesn’t measure, and how to make the most of yours.
