Specialty Coffee Association of America
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) (also SCA Specialty Coffee Association, post-2017), founded in 1982, was a non-profit trade organization for the specialty coffee industry. With members located in more than 40 countries, SCAA represented different segments of the specialty coffee industry, including producers, roasters, importers/exporters and retailers.
In January 2017, the Specialty Coffee Association of America and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe merged into one Specialty Coffee Association or simply SCA. The new SCA has more than 10,000 active members.[1]
Controversies
[edit]In 2005, management discovered that former Chief Operating Officer Scott Welker had embezzled more than $465,000. SCAA members contributed a quarter of a million dollars beyond their membership dues to keep the organization running. In 2009, the U.S. Federal Court in Santa Ana, California sentenced Welker to 33 months in federal prison.[2][3]
In 2026, the Specialty Coffee Association faced criticism after the World Coffee Championships changed the nationality designation of Taiwanese competitor Bala, winner of the 2026 World Latte Art Championship, from "Taiwan" to "Chinese Taipei" in its official records.[4] The revision was reportedly made without public explanation and was followed by the removal of some historical rankings documents from the championships website.[5] The change drew objections from the Taiwan Coffee Association, which stated that it had spent years attempting to preserve the use of "Taiwan" in international competition records. The SCA later described the change as an "administrative decision" and cited naming practices used by organizations such as the International Olympic Committee and FIFA.[6] Media reports and commentators linked the controversy to possible political pressure connected to China's growing influence in the global coffee industry, although no direct evidence of external intervention was publicly released.[7]
See also
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Notes
[edit]- ^ Vesi "What is the SCA?" ' 'Coffee Corner' ', September 26, 2018
- ^ Melissa Allison, "Former coffee association leader sentenced to federal prison for embezzlement" ' 'Seattle Times' ', October 22, 2009
- ^ Mark Pendergast "Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World" Basic Books, page 301.
- ^ Su Yung-yao; Sam Garcia (April 29, 2026). "Coffee championships changes Taiwan designation to 'Chinese Taipei'". Taipei Times. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ^ Alastair McCready; Yu-chen Li (May 4, 2026). "Bitter aftertaste: Taiwan's leading baristas forced to compete at global coffee championship as 'Chinese Taipei'". The Guardian. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ^ Jules Quartly (May 1, 2026). "World Coffee Championships switches Taiwan's name to Chinese Taipei". Taiwan News. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ^ Tzuyi Kao (May 6, 2026). "How China quietly erased Taiwan from coffee's world stage". Asia Times. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
External links
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