New SCA Equitable Value Distribution Report
New SCA Equitable Value Distribution Report Tracks Shifting Perceptions of Equity in Coffee, Calling the Industry to Collective Action
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is proud to announce the release of its second “Equitable Value Distribution (EVD) Report” alongside a companion How-To Guide designed to help businesses across the coffee value system turn insight into action. Together, these resources mark a significant step forward in the SCA's ongoing commitment to making specialty coffee a thriving, equitable, and sustainable industry for everyone, from producer to cup.
A Shared Vision, A Fractured Reality
First launched in 2023, the Equitable Value Distribution Survey was designed to establish a baseline understanding of how people across the coffee sector perceive value, and whether they believe that value is distributed fairly. The 2023 survey, and this resulting report, allows us to assess whether and how those perceptions are shifting.
The findings are clear in one respect: the coffee sector wants change. There is an overwhelming consensus among respondents that the sector should be more equitable. And yet, how people experience today's system varies drastically depending on where they sit in the value chain. Perceptions of the current state of equity are fragmented, and largely trend towards the negative.
"Survey respondents have diverse perceptions of how the coffee sector works today, but they share a common vision for a more equitable future. People experience the current system very differently depending on their role, but they largely agree on where it should go," said SCA Sustainability Director, Andrés Montenegro.
This gap between lived reality and collective aspiration, what the report names as the "aspiration gap," is not a reason for pessimism. It is an invitation. Broad dissatisfaction with the current system, combined with strong alignment around a more equitable future, creates exactly the conditions needed for collective action.
"Bridging this gap isn't just about designing better equity mechanisms - it's about ensuring that progress is felt, not just observed, across all parts of the value chain," added Andrés Montenegro.
From Insight to Action
The EVD Report does not seek to define a single "correct" view of equity in coffee. Instead, using a process known as sensemaking, it surfaces diverse perspectives, identifies shared themes, and maps opportunities for meaningful change. The SCA offers the research as a navigational tool, to help the sector make sense of a complex and often fractured landscape.
Alongside the report, the SCA has published a companion How-To Guide, a practical resource that walks coffee businesses, producers, roasters, buyers, and industry professionals through how to apply the report's learnings to their own operations. Whether you are re-examining your pricing practices, reviewing supplier relationships, or looking to embed equity into your business strategy, the How-To Guide offers a clear, accessible pathway to get started.
Part of a Broader Commitment
The EVD Report and How-To Guide sit within the SCA's wider sustainability ecosystem, a set of interconnected activities designed to shift mindsets, change business behaviors, and generate actionable research across the specialty coffee sector. This includes the Coffee Value Assessment, Green Coffee Connect, and the SCA Sustainability Learning Hub among other programs and resources.
This work also finds expression in the SCA's annual Sustainability Awards, which celebrate businesses and individuals demonstrating leadership in equitable and sustainable practices. The SCA is proud to congratulate the 2026 Sustainability Award winners, Coffee Connect (for-profit) and Bean Voyage (non-profit), whose work embodies the values at the heart of the EVD initiative. Their recognition underscores that equitable value distribution is not an abstract ideal; it is already practiced and ready to be scaled.
What Comes Next
The EVD initiative is an ongoing conversation. The next phase of this work focuses on making sustainability a shared practice across the sector, helping businesses and individuals know their product, know their market, and know their fit within a more equitable specialty coffee economy.
The SCA invites everyone across the value system to download the report, engage with the findings, and take the first step toward implementation with the How-To Guide.
Interested in partnering with us on future research? Get in touch.
