This week, we’re excited (and a little bit sad) to release the sixth and final episode of the World Coffee Championships Podcast’s first series. 

“Worlds Apart” tells the stories of the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship and the World Brewers Cup, two competitions that take vastly different approaches to growing the specialty coffee community. Along the way, co-host Kimberly Yer leads us through stories of unlikely inspiration, the value of setting expectations, the push and pull of subjectivity and objectivity, and the shape of things to come through interviews with Dave Jameson, Cheryl Lee Su Yin, Nick Cho, Chad Wang, and Kristina Jackson.

Special Thanks to Our Episode Sponsor, Licor 43
This episode of the WCC Podcast is brought to you with support from Licor 43. Licor 43 is a premium liqueur produced in Cartagena, Spain, from a secret Spanish family recipe of 43 natural ingredients including Mediterranean citrus fruit and selected botanicals. Licor 43 shares complementary tasting notes with coffee, and it loves putting extraordinary things together. Learn more about how Licor 43 calls on cocktail and coffee professionals around the world to showcase their expertise and creativity with their Barista and Bartenders Challenge. Licor 43: Tastes better together.

We’d like to thank Kimberly Yer, our co-host for this episode, and our interviewees for their time in sharing their stories about the evolution of the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship and the World Brewers Cup, in order of appearance: Dave Jameson, Cheryl Lee Su Yin, Nick Cho, Chad Wang, and Kristina Jackson. 

For a full list of those who helped across the entire series, a year-long effort, click here. Series 01 of the World Coffee Championships Podcast is a coffee documentary series produced by James Harper of Filter Productions for the Specialty Coffee Association. 

Learn more about this episode of the World Coffee Championships Podcast, made possible with the support of Victoria Arduino and Licor 43, including a full transcript and credits at sca.coffee/sca-news/listen/wcc-podcast/06-worlds-apart

This week, we’re excited to release the fifth episode of the World Coffee Championships Podcast.

“Turn It On” tells the stories of the World Coffee Roasting Championship and the Cezve/Ibrik Championships, two competitions with incredibly close-knit communities at their heart. Along the way, co-hosts Anna Oleksak and Sara Al-Ali lead us through stories about navigating subjectivity, all kinds of development, and the lengths we go to for coffee (and love) through interviews with Trish Rothgeb, Sylvia Gutierrez, Lee Yiming, Yuan Jingyi, Sergey Blinnikov, and Turgay Yildizli.

Special Thanks to Our Episode Sponsor, Loumidis Papagalos
This episode of the WCC podcast is made possible with support from Loumidis Papagalos. For over a century, Loumidis Papagalos has been evolving ibrik coffee tradition in Greece, offering unique moments to true coffee lovers. In 2020 Loumidis Papagalos celebrates its first 100 years, always nourishing passion around ibrik coffee and supporting its way forward. To learn more visit nestlenoiazomai.gr/loumidis. Loumidis Papagalos, the true expert in coffee!

We’d like to thank Anna Oleksak and Sara Al-Ali, our co-hosts for this episode, and our interviewees for their time in sharing their stories about the evolution of the World Coffee Roasters Championship and the Cezve/Ibrik Championship, in order of appearance: Trish Rothgeb, Sylvia Gutierrez, Lee Yiming, Yuan Jingyi, Sergey Blinnikov, and Turgay Yildizli. Thanks also to our roaster participants in James’ “How would you roast…?” game—Valentina Moksunova, David Rosali, Chad Goddard, Ariel Bravo, and Marian Aguilar—and to Lobotryasi and Specialty Turkish Coffee for audio permissions. 

For a full list of those who helped across the entire series, a year-long effort, click here. Series 01 of the World Coffee Championships Podcast is a coffee documentary series produced by James Harper of Filter Productions for the Specialty Coffee Association. 

Learn more about this episode of the World Coffee Championships Podcast, made possible with the support of Victoria Arduino and Loumidis Papagalos, including a full transcript and credits at sca.coffee/sca-news/listen/wcc-podcast/05-turn-it-on

This week, we’re excited to release the fourth episode of the World Coffee Championships Podcast.

“But I Need It!” continues the story of the World Barista Championships from where we left off in Episode 03, nearly halfway through the competition’s journey, to today. Along the way, co-host Roukiat Delrue leads us through stories of evolutionary meetings, competitors who played in the grey areas of the rules, wildcards, and the drive to “bring the trophy” through interviews with Carl Sara, Federico Bolanos, María Esther López-Thome, Martin Shabaya, Innocent Niyongabo, and Annet Nyakaisiki. 

Special Thanks to Our Episode Sponsors, Scotsman and Urnex
This episode of the WCC Podcast was made possible with support from Scotsman and Urnex.

For over 50 years, Scotsman has been one of the world's leading manufacturers of ice machines. At the forefront of practical, sustainable ice machines, Scotsman has expertise in every aspect of ice production. Combined with its passion for coffee, Scotsman has the perfect type of ice for any coffee preparation, whether iced coffee, cold brew, or cocktails. Learn more at www.scotsman-ice.it Scotsman: 50 years of ice innovation.

Even the slightest unwelcome scent or taste of bitterness can ruin a delicious coffee. Whether you have a dirty grinder, a grimy group head, or a soiled steam wand, Urnex has a product that can remove the buildup of oils, fats, and minerals that occurs from the regular preparation of coffee beverages in cafés and at home. Learn more about Urnex and its new line of biodegradable cleaners by visiting Urnex.com.

We’d like to thank Rouki Delrue, our co-host for this episode, and our interviewees for their time in sharing their stories about the evolution of the World Barista Championship, in order of appearance: Carl Sara, Federico Bolanos, María Esther López-Thome, Martin Shabaya, Innocent Niyongabo, and Annet Nyakaisiki. Thanks, too, to Henk Langkemper, for his recording of Alejandro’s winning moment in 2011. 

For a full list of those who helped across the entire series, a year-long effort, click here. Series 01 of the World Coffee Championships Podcast is a coffee documentary series produced by James Harper of Filter Productions for the Specialty Coffee Association. 

Learn more about this episode of the World Coffee Championships Podcast, made possible with the support of Victoria Arduino, Scotsman, and URNEX, including a full transcript and credits at sca.coffee/sca-news/listen/wcc-podcast/04-but-i-need-it

“We Were the Punks” traces the early days of the World Barista Championships from a rag-tag group of volunteers looking to raise specialty coffee awareness to a powerful, monetizable stage grappling with questions of scale and professionalism. Along the way, co-host Sonja Bjork Grant leads us through stories of spit buckets, snakeskin boots, backstage woes, intensifying competition preparation, and devastating debriefs through interviews with Tone Elian Liavaag, Emma Markland-Webster, Simi Benzadon, Paul Basset, and Heather Perry.

We’d like to thank Sonja Bjork Grant, our co-host for this episode, and our interviewees for their time in sharing their stories about the early days of the World Barista Championship, in order of appearance: Tone Elian Liavaag, Emma Markland-Webster, Simi Benzadon, Paul Basset, and Heather Perry. Thanks, too, to Igloo Media for use of audio from “Living Coffee with Paul Basset.”

For a full list of those who helped across the entire series, a year-long effort, click here. Series 01 of the World Coffee Championships Podcast is a coffee documentary series produced by James Harper of Filter Productions for the Specialty Coffee Association.

Learn more about this episode of the World Coffee Championships Podcast, made possible with the support of Victoria Arduino, including a full transcript and credits at sca.coffee/sca-news/listen/wcc-podcast/03-we-were-the-punks.

This week, we’re excited to launch the second episode of the World Coffee Championships Podcast. 

“Paint a Picture” traces the history and evolution of the World Latte Art Championship through the medium itself, from early etchings to the innovative realistic pours that grace the competition’s stage today. Along the way, co-host Rie Moustakis leads us through stories about the role of the rules, the value of art, and family dynamics through interviews with Carl Sara, Daniel Acosta Busch, and Um Paul. 

Special Thanks to Our Episode Sponsor, URNEX
This episode of the WCC Podcast was made possible with support from Urnex. Even the slightest unwelcome scent or taste of bitterness can ruin a delicious coffee. Whether you have a dirty grinder, a grimy group head, or a soiled steam wand, Urnex has a product that can remove the buildup of oils, fats, and minerals that occurs from the regular preparation of coffee beverages in cafés and at home. Learn more about Urnex and its new line of biodegradable cleaners by visiting Urnex.com. 

We’d like to thank Rie Moustakis, our co-host for this episode, and our interviewees for their time in sharing their stories about the World Latte Art Championship, in order of appearance: Carl Sara, Daniel Acosta Busch, and Um Paul. Thanks, too, to Madbirder for the recording of the Quetzal bird and to Um Paul for letting us use his tracks to help illustrate his story. 

For a full list of those who helped across the entire series, a year-long effort, click here. Series 01 of the World Coffee Championships Podcast was produced by James Harper of Filter Productions for the Specialty Coffee Association. 

This week, we’re excited to launch the first episode of the World Coffee Championships Podcast. 

“It’s a YES!!” traces the history and evolution of the World Cup Tasters Championship through stories about rule-breakers, phone calls home mid-competition, and backstage ballet. Co-hosted by Gloria Pedroza, 2006 World Cup Tasters Champion and long-time WCE Judge and competition organizer, this episode features interviews with Alf Kramer, Kim Staalman, José Joaquín Ordoñez, and Chloe King. 

Find a full transcript of this episode on SCA News: sca.coffee/sca-news/listen/wcc-podcast/01-its-a-yes

Special Thanks to Our Episode Sponsor, DaVinci 
This episode of the WCC Podcast is made possible with support from DaVinci. With its heritage in specialty coffee and expertise in trends and menu innovation, DaVinci is the beverage brand of choice for the foodservice professional. Their product range is designed to provide end-to-end solutions and support specialty coffee professionals in their mission to create inspirational beverages. Follow us at DaVinci Europe, DaVinci North America, or using #WeAreDaVinciGourmet. 

We’d like to thank Gloria Pedroza, our co-host for this episode, and our interviewees for their time in sharing their stories about the World Cup Tasters Championship, in order of appearance: Alf Kramer, Kim Staalman, José Joaquín Ordoñez, and Chloe King. Thanks, too, to those Berlin park-goers who participated in our listening game!

For a full list of those who helped across the entire series, a year-long effort, click here. Series 01 of the World Coffee Championships Podcast was produced by James Harper of Filter Productions for the Specialty Coffee Association. 

Coming soon to the SCA Podcast channel: The World Coffee Championships podcast! Across six episodes, the series offers a glimpse behind the scenes, bringing to light some of the hidden stories woven in and around these annual events that serve as the culmination of local and regional events around the globe. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to make sure you don't miss the launch! 

• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• Transistor / RSS Feed 

Full Transcript

"It was only like old white guys in suits, you know, and I can tell you one story about this guy. He was, like, giving a speech in front of like a big hall, like, 'women cannot make coffee because they can't tamp.'" 

Welcome to new podcast series from the Specialty Coffee Association. "These kind of things just makes me personally stronger because I'm like, okay, I'm gonna show them. You know, this is just like how humans are acting, you know, if we have too many suits you will have some punks coming in. And we were the punks, you know, we were the young people coming in, and like we wanted to change." 

In the next six episodes, we're going to explore the World Coffee Championships. Where did they come from?

"And so starting from a blank page, I was inspired by, of all things, figure skating."

How did things go wrong? 

"Everyone backstage was a little bit in shock and we're all looking at each other, like what is going on? Like, is this real? Is this even allowed?"

How were they fixed?

"You know, a lot of baristas didn't really understand what happened in Dublin. I mean, most people probably don't even know that the Dublin event ever happened." 

What changes do you want to see in these competitions?

"The guy who was set up next to me... I swear to God he had a stack of like four refractometers sitting on his table. And I said, 'What do you need those for?' And he said, 'Well, I'm using them for compulsory.' "I said, 'All four of them?!'"

I'm James Harper, the producer, and in each episode, we're going to hear from people who come together every year to celebrate specialty coffee and push the industry forward.

"My name is Christina Jackson." "Emma Markland-Webster." "Chad Wang." "Nyakaisiki Annette." "Um Paul." "Carl Sara." "Trish Rothgeb." "Innocent." "Simi Benzadon." "Chloe King." "Mickey." "José Joaquín Ordoñez." "Maria Esther." "Heather Perry." "Cheryl Lee." "David Jameson." "Turgay Yildizli." "Sylvia Gutierrez." "Federico Bolanos." "Sergey Blinnikov." "Nicholas Cho." "Tone Liavaag." "Jingyi." "Kim Staalman." "Alf Kramer." "Danilo Acosta-Busch." 

And to help tell these stories, I'm going to be joined by, "Sara Al-Ali." "Rie Moustakis." "Anna Oleksak." "Roukiat Delrue." "Kimberly Yer." "Sonja Bjork Grant." "Gloria Pedroza." 

And listen, we know it's no fun that these competitions aren't happening this year, but we hope this podcast will help us feel more connected.

And, if this is the first time you've ever heard of the World Coffee Championships, this series will give you an entertaining window into this world and why we love it so much. You can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Transistor, the SCA website, or wherever you get your podcast. 

"If that's something that we learn as a volunteers, it's that competitors are stressed. You are stressed. We don't stop running. And I just heard a CRASH."

There are big questions facing specialty coffee sellers and buyers. According to numerous studies in different coffee-producing countries, prices paid for green specialty coffees often don’t cover the full cost of production, let alone support thriving livelihoods for farmers and their families. Moreover, unless price discovery moves beyond commodity price references, younger farmers cannot expect these prices to evolve in ways that make them excited about remaining in the industry. As such, more and more farms will struggle to find a next generation to take over. This makes buyers increasingly concerned about future supplies of the different coffees that are needed to push the industry forward. 

Today, with help from presenter Chad Trewick, you’ll learn about the inception of and future plans for the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide, a project housed at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The Guide uses donated contract information about industry pricing behaviors that are anonymized and aggregated to create tables to serve as a guide to help both sellers (producers) and buyers (exporters, importers, roasters) land on pricing that does not rely on the volatile commodity price as a baseline. Leaders creating the guide propose that Specialty coffees are deserving of their own pricing scale and present current industry purchasing behaviors as the basis for that scale. The team responsible for the Guide has plans to expand the pool of data donors to ensure more global representation and to formalize the tool over the next years introducing governance, an advisory board, and securing funding to support its work. Come learn about this exciting new tool for the Specialty Coffee industry.

Related Links: 

• Learn more about the coffee price crisis
• Learn more about the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide

With producers facing issues of climate change, migration of the younger generations to urban areas, and fluctuating coffee prices, it has become increasingly difficult for smallholder farmers to be successful and sustainable. It’s been 17 years since the last coffee crisis, and since then the industry has largely failed in making sustainable coffee a reality. Coffee prices are near record lows, overproduction and deforestation are continuing at a rapid pace, natural resources are being depleted, and youth are losing interest in coffee. The current prospects for farmers and youth are therefore limited. Key sector stakeholders hold the power, but what is needed are the insights, experiences on successes and failures, and know-how to tackle these issues and bring focus to the farmers. For farmers, family is important; they strive for improved livelihoods through access to markets, valuable trainings, stable organizational structures, and a level playing field. 

Here, a panel discussion featuring Jörn Severloh, Christopher Mujabi, Karina Orellana, Sara Morrocchi, and Kathrine Löfberg brings together coffee industry leaders and farmers to discuss these critical issues to find common understandings and a path forward. By developing innovative partnerships that cater for social and environmental values, these issues can be addressed, creating opportunities for all stakeholders alike to establish a more sustainable coffee industry.

Related Links: 

• Learn more about the coffee price crisis 
• Join us for a new open discussion series, "United in Sustainability"

This week, we're taking a break from the 2019 World of Coffee lecture series to share Recap's fifth episode. The Recap podcast offers a brief overview of recent coffee developments every two weeks from the Specialty Coffee Association. 

Now a pandemic, the COVID-19 outbreak continues to have a devastating impact on the coffee industry. Around the world, coffee shops, roaster/retailers, and factories have been greatly impacted by government-mandated closures to mitigate the virus’ spread. As the situation continues to rapidly evolve, we are still waiting to understand the full impact of the pandemic on global supply chains and we watch with great concern as the virus is now appearing in coffee-growing countries. Many businesses are being forced to close their doors or operate in a limited capacity, highlighting the precarious position of service labor across our industry. This is an unprecedented situation for all of us, but we are heartened by the way communities are coming together to support each other and to make their voices heard. Over the coming weeks, the SCA will work to aggregate and amplify these community responses to this crisis. 

Significantly attended trade shows and specialty coffee community events have taken steps to postpone their events. The SCA recently announced the postponement of World of Coffee Warsaw, including the Warsaw World Coffee Championships, and the Melbourne World Coffee Championships in Australia. Re:co Symposium and the Specialty Coffee Expo, scheduled to take place in Portland, Oregon, US this April, are still pending postponement. Contradictory directions from the US federal and Oregon state government have left the SCA and the business partners who make these events possible every year in legal limbo. For a full statement, the most recent update, resources, and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit sca.coffee/covid19. The SCA will continue to update this page and its FAQ as the situation evolves and we receive new questions. 

Amidst our collective efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus’ and its impact on communities around the world, companies and organizations are continuing important work on the sustainability of the coffee supply chain. On March 13, World Coffee Research released a study confirming that Arabica coffee--the main species that millions of people around the world consume daily--is the least genetically diverse major crop species in the world. The study confirms that Coffea arabica likely originated from a single plant between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago, providing clear, definitive evidence that Arabica’s genetic diversity is even lower than previously thought. The results also confirm that recent approaches in coffee breeding programs worldwide, which look to related species in the Coffea family, are the best way to introduce the genetic diversity required to meet the challenges ahead. 

The government of Colombia will invest nearly $64 million in a newly-launched coffee stabilization fund. The fund will be used to fill the gap between the C market price and the cost of production by allowing growers to lock in a predetermined market price up to a year in advance of their harvest. According to Colombia’s Finance Minister Alberto Carrasquilla, this will allow farmers to focus on growing the best coffee possible without worrying about price fluctuations. 

Folgers, the leading brand of regular ground coffee in the US, has adopted blockchain technology into its 1850 Coffee brand. Packaged with a QR code, consumers will be able to research and track the coffee in each canister by scanning the code into the “Thank My Farmer” app, a collaboration between tech-giant IBM and start-up Farmer Connect. The app is not the first to offer solutions to connect coffee producers with others in the supply chain: iFinca and Just Coffee Co. also use blockchain technology to help consumers trace their coffee’s journey. Folger’s adoption of Farmer Connect is a striking example of large industry players adopting a level of traceability previously broadly associated with the smaller scale of specialty coffee.

If you want to dive deeper into anything you heard today, check out the links in the description of this episode. Recap will be back in two weeks’ time. Thanks for listening. 

Relevant Links: 

• Updates on COVID-19 and SCA Events
• Specialty Coffee Community COVID-19 Resource Database 
• World Coffee Research Study on the Genetic Diversity of Arabica 
• Colombia invests in a newly-launched coffee stabilization fund
• Folgers adopts blockchain technology

This session brings together recent work on the history and anthropology of coffee in the context of a discussion about the role of specialty in rebalancing the fundamentals of the market. Professor Jonathan Morris presents an overview of the history of price volatility across the five eras of coffee history he has identified, with some suggestions as to how this might be resolved in a sixth era as producer countries start consuming their own coffee. Sabine Parrish focuses on Brazil where this has already occurred, discussing the overall growth in consumption, and relating this to a specialty culture that has to operate within constraints imposed by Brazil’s primacy in the field of production.

Relevant Links: 

• Listen to other episodes of the SCA Podcast
• Read "Vessels Through the Ages" by Jonathan Morris in Issue 4 of 25 

Lecture Handout:  A Sixth Era of Coffee? 

Specialty and Sustainability in Historical and Anthropological Perspectives
Jonathan Morris ([email protected]) Sabine Parrish [email protected]

Situating Sustainability in the Six Eras of Coffee History - Jonathan Morris

Coffee. A Global History, Reaktion Books, £10.99 use code COFFEE20 for 20% discount            ;

Available US via University of Chicago Press US$19.95 – check Amazon for offers inc e-book.

• Distribution of Global Coffee Production 1700-2015 Coffee. A Global History, p.8
• Characteristics of the Five Eras (Author’s copyright, Do NOT cite without permission)
• Distribution of Global Consumption 2014-2018 calculated from ICO data, April 2019

 Specialty Coffee Consumption in Brazil – Sabine Parrish

• Brazil is the world’s largest producer of coffee (28% of world total production in 2018), and one of the largest consumers (largest by volume; second-largest per capita).
• Ethnographic research conducted in São Paulo between June 2017 and July 2018 in order to understand how consumers in a nation typically classed as ‘producing’ engage with specialty coffee as a transnational commodity-specific consumer culture. 
• São Paulo population = 12.18 million people; metropolitan area = 21.57 million people
• June 2017, 32 specialty shops in São Paulo 
  • (= 1 shop per every 386,625 inhabitants)
• May 2019, 51 specialty shops in São Paulo 
  • (= 1 shop per 238,823 inhabitants)
  • For loose reference (based on European Coffee Trip data) there are 61 shops in Berlin, or 1 per every 58,606 people.
• Key experiential difference in producing countries: much more difficult to obtain international coffees. 
• Flexible definitions of ‘origin’ and where coffees can be from; strategies to partake in international specialty coffee discourse. 
  • Origin of raw material does not always outweigh added production input.
  • United States, Italy, and Germany as examples of coffee origins
  • An expanded understanding of what is involved in the work of production (e.g. production not exclusively confined to agricultural work, but instead also encompassing things like roasting and barista-craft) highlights that labor is located in many spaces throughout the supply chain.
• Valorization 
  • From the Portuguese ‘valorização’; first introduced in Brazil in 1906 to stabilize falling coffee prices.
  • What of specialty coffee and the secondary definition of valorize? What else do we assign value to and what are the possibilities when we valorize different forms of labor as part of the production process?