A Milestone Year - 25 Magazine: Issue 3

As we mark our first anniversary as a global Specialty Coffee Association, we look to the future with optimism.

The year 2017 was a milestone for our community, with the introduction of many new member-focused initiatives, including Avance, the SCA’s first sustainability conference in Guatemala, the first Coffee Technicians Guild Summit in Europe, the SCA’s Roaster/Retailer Financial Benchmarking Study, the launch of the Coffee Skills Program, amalgamating SCAE’s Coffee Diploma System and SCAA’s Pathways Program, and of course the launch of 25, your magazine which connects you with the community around the world.

The year also unearthed challenges for the specialty coffee community and staff alike as we embrace our global membership and weave staff teams from the US, Europe and beyond into one. These challenges present huge learning and growth opportunities for us all.

In this, our third issue of 25, we champion our diversity and learn how we can come together as a community to support one another. Elizabeth Doerr interviews refugees training and working at 1951 Coffee Company in California. Phyllis Johnson of BD Imports reveals what it’s like to establish and grow a coffee business as a woman of color, and Mohamed Nouh Ges reflects on his recent visit to Guatemala where he fell in love with a people who share many of the values that he was raised with in a Somali family.

Also in this issue, Chad Trewick introduces the SCA’s Farm Profitability Report, Ruth Hegarty offers insight into the pros and cons of geographical indications, and David Fasman examines the findings of the Barista Guild’s Espresso Survey.

From all of us here at the SCA, I wish you a peaceful and prosperous 2018. Here’s to another great year of championing specialty coffee.

PAUL STACK
President, Specialty Coffee Association