SCA and International Coffee Organization Forge Alliance to Enhance the Global Coffee Sector

Pictured: Yannis Apostolopoulos - CEO, Specialty Coffee Association and Vanúsia Nogueira - Executive Director, International Coffee Organization in London on December 1, 2023

The SCA is delighted to announce a momentous collaboration with the International Coffee Organization with a mutual commitment to advancing global coffee industry cooperation and reaching new heights in specialty coffee sustainability, education, and outreach.

Having collaborated on numerous initiatives over the years, the SCA and ICO, aim to harness their combined outreach and expertise. This dynamic partnership sets out to design and implement interventions that will benefit coffee stakeholders worldwide through knowledge-sharing, education, and capacity building. Both organizations pledge to create training programs and foster skill development across diverse segments of the coffee value chain — from production and trade to roasting, brewing, and preparation methods.

Notably, the agreement outlines a joint commitment to expanding market promotion and encouraging the consumption of high-quality coffee. The SCA and ICO are united in their mission to facilitate constructive dialogue, linking ICO Members, industry experts, and coffee professionals. This collaboration and the programs to follow will actively promote sustainable practices and will provide increased visibility in specialty markets, with an emphasis on attributes, consuming markets, communication, and skill building. This program aims to empower producer organizations to access specialty coffee and embrace higher-value trading models through the use of the SCA Coffee Value Assessment and its tools.

This agreement reflects the dedication of the Specialty Coffee Association to make coffee a thriving equitable and sustainable activity for the entire value chain, in tandem with the International Coffee Organization.

About the International Coffee Organization (ICO)

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) is the only intergovernmental organization supporting exporting and importing countries to improve the sustainability of the coffee sector. It provides a high-level forum for all public and private stakeholders in the sector; official statistics on coffee production, trade and consumption; and support for the development and funding of technical cooperation projects and public- private partnerships. 

Learn more on icocoffee.org