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In what the two organizations are calling “a historic partnership,” the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is taking over management of the Q Grader program from the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI).
For over two decades, the CQI has administered the Q Grader program. The program is a rigorous professional certification that has trained thousands of coffee professionals to build the sensory skills necessary to evaluate and assess coffee quality.
Now, the CQI is handing over control to the SCA, which will “evolve the content” of the Q program to “provide better support and more accessible educational opportunities to the coffee industry,” according to a press release.
This “evolved” certification will be based on the SCA’s Coffee Value Assessment (CVA), the organization’s updated cupping standards. The goal of the CVA is to move evaluation away from a single 100-point score and toward a more holistic appreciation of coffee’s value.
“Coffee is more than a score. The partnership between SCA and CQI to evolve the Q Grader program is the latest milestone towards delivering on the SCA’s purpose to make coffee better,” said SCA CEO Yannis Apostolopoulos in the announcement. “Upon completion of the program, Q Graders holding the evolved, CVA-based license will set the standard for modern coffee evaluation.”
Because news broke just before the start of the SCA Expo conference in Houston, people (including us) are still trying to figure out what this move means. The reaction thus far on social media has been mostly either confused or negative. Some have gone to the comments section on the SCA’s Instagram announcement post to raise their concerns.
Some have cited concerns over additional costs (the Q training program is already costly). Others expressed confusion over what the shift could mean for their existing certification. Some expressed frustration that the SCA is focusing on acquiring the Q grading program and not addressing concerns over the current coffee price crisis or the threat of tariffs to the coffee industry.
The CQI has an FAQ page that responds to some questions, but many remain unanswered—keep an eye out for another patented Fresh Cup Explainer shortly.
