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.

CECILIA HAE-JIN LEE traces the history of coffee in Korea.

Sociolinguist ANDRE JOSEPH THENG explores what the application of semiotic theory—the study of signs and symbols—to specialty coffee spaces can tell us about how we construct and identify them (and at what cost). Photos by NIKKO PASCUA.

RAY MWAREYA and NYASHA BHOBO tell the story of Zimbabwe’s coffee collapse and recovery as the country grapples with the legacies of its colonial history.

DAGMAWI I.E. explores the long, obscured history of Ethiopian coffee as told by others, and how owning and changing the narrative can lead it to a more sustainable future.

Dr. ILJA CROIJMANS explores why the vocabulary we use to describe aromas matters, sharing findings of previous research on the evolution of sensory language from hunter-gathers to wine and coffee professionals.

The current price crisis requires us to form a clear understanding of the determinants of profitability, or economic sustainability, for small farmers.

La crisis de precios actual nos exige formar un entendimiento claro de los factores que determinan la rentabilidad o la sustentabilidad económica para los pequeños agricultores.

It’s no secret that young people living in Marsella Risaralda have migrated to other cities in search of better opportunities – if coffee farming doesn’t provide guarantees of economic stability for small producers, coffee picking certainly won’t.

Forces of disruption in agricultural supply chains – intensifying production demands, accelerating climate change, an urbanizing labor force – have led to marginal incomes at the production level for both farmers and farmworkers, but the latter remain largely hidden in coffee price discourse.

Las fuerzas de disrupción existentes en las cadenas de suministro agrícolas – las demandas de producción cada vez más exigentes, el acuciante cambio climático, una mano de obra que emigra a zonas urbanas – han hecho que el nivel de ingresos tanto para agricultores como para trabajadores de sus tierras sea marginal a nivel de producción, si bien los segundos se omiten en el discurso sobre los precios del café.

While the global demand for coffee is steadily increasing, climate change and other threats are posing significant challenges to the future of coffee production. STEPHANIE ALCALA explores the current state of genetic diversity and how we can create climate resilient crops, as she shares some highlights from her research project investigating the genetic composition of the beloved Panamanian Geisha.

Dr. JOSEPH KING explores the role of specialty coffee across two case studies of conflict and development efforts in Rwanda and Eastern Congo.

El Dr JOSEPH KING explora el papel del café de especialidad a través de dos casos prácticos en los que reinan problemas de desarrollo y conflictos, como son los de Ruanda y el Congo oriental.

HANES MOTSINGER explores the opportunities and limitations of different types of initiatives in Issue 07 of 25 Magazine.

ELIZABETH DOERR explores how the Dominican Republic’s largest coffee company seeks to change local coffee culture through baristas in Issue 06 of 25 Magazine.

At the April 2017 Re:co Symposium, an annual event hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association, a panel debated the question: are we in a coffee bubble? Panelists DAN MCCLOSKEY and JANICE ANDERSON, using their extensive experience mapping the growth of specialty coffee across the US, offer their perspective on the state of the market in Issue 05 of 25.

Ethiopia needs little introduction in terms of coffee. Often quoted as the birthplace of Arabica, and known for its wide range of unique flavor profiles, it regularly ranks among the favorite producing countries for baristas and coffee lovers. But how well do we know this large and diverse origin country? Not that well it turns out – until now.

Over 65 million people around the world have been forced to leave their homes. As levels of displacement reach crisis point, one coffee company in the US is helping refugees settle in their new country by equipping them with the skills needed to become successful baristas.

Mientras crece la demanda de los granos de Arábica lavado, la producción total sigue estancada desde hace dos décadas, y va perdiendo cuota de mercado en origen. THOMAS COPPLE pregunta: ¿está el café de especialidad en peligro de ser víctima de su propio éxito?