A New Chapter in Coffee Education
What’s Changing
The SCA is transforming its education pricing model to make learning more accessible, affordable, and equitable for coffee professionals everywhere.
Why Now?
For decades, the Specialty Coffee Association has defined the benchmarks of coffee education. From cupping forms and brewing charts to handbooks and white papers, our tools have guided an industry and empowered thousands of professionals across the globe.
As the coffee world continues to evolve, we’ve seen a clear signal: more people want to learn, especially in emerging markets, underserved regions, and among the next generation of coffee professionals. We’ve heard this call—and we’re answering it.
Now, we're launching a bold, forward-looking pricing model designed to meet learners where they are, both geographically and economically.
Last year, we introduced free SCA membership to lower the barriers to global community access. In 2025, we take the next step: a new pricing model that ensures SCA education is within reach for more people than ever before.
"Education serves as the foundation for careers, leadership, and innovation throughout the value chain. It plays a vital role in our mission to make coffee better, with our research and standards continuously shaping the evolution of our curriculum,” said Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association. “After years of dedicated work, we are proud to introduce a new model designed to make our education more accessible and widely available."
How It Works
Education costs will now vary by country, reflecting local economic realities.
We’ve organized countries into five groups based on data from the International Monetary Fund and the Purchasing Power Parity per Capita Index. This approach ensures that both course fees for learners and license fees for trainers are scaled fairly and transparently.
For example:
An Authorized SCA Trainer (AST) in Group 5 will pay $975 per year, while a trainer in Group 1 will pay just $115.
A learner in Group 5 will pay a $50 fee per course to SCA, while one in Group 1 will pay $8.
This model applies to all SCA certificate programs, including the Q Program. Trainers will continue to set their own pricing. By making education more affordable where it's needed most, we're building a more inclusive, empowered global coffee community.
Partnerships That Drive Progress
We believe education is the foundation of a thriving, equitable, and sustainable coffee industry—and SCA is proud to lead this transformation. But we’re not doing it alone.
Through trusted relationships and shared values, we’re partnering with key institutions to expand our reach and impact. Recent partnerships include:
These collaborations help bring our programs and standards to more people, while respecting and leveraging local knowledge and infrastructure.
What You Need to Know
The full pricing structure is now available on the SCA Education website.
Informational sessions—online and in-person—will be held in the coming weeks. The very first one takes place at World of Coffee Jakarta on May 17, 12:00pm, in the Kakatua Room. No registration needed.
We’re working toward a launch in the coming months.
Stay tuned, and visit education.sca.coffee/new-pricing-model for the latest updates.