Specialty Coffee Association

The Specialty Coffee Association, known as SCA, is the global trade organization for the specialty coffee industry, formed in 2017 through the merger of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe, with its headquarters split between Santa Ana, California and London. The association represents over thirteen thousand individual members and over two thousand corporate members across the entire specialty coffee value chain from coffee farmers and producer cooperatives to importers, roasters, baristas, cafe owners, equipment manufacturers, and coffee educators. The SCA is best known for developing the coffee industry's leading technical standards and certification programs including the Coffee Skills Program offering internationally recognized certifications in barista skills, brewing, roasting, sensory analysis, and green coffee, and the Golden Cup Standard for brewed coffee quality. The association maintains the Coffee Price Risk Management curriculum and publishes the Sensory and Consumer Research journal. Annual events include the Specialty Coffee Expo in the United States and the World of Coffee exhibition in Europe, which attract over twelve thousand attendees for competitions including the World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup.