Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)
Sources: World of Coffee Europe (website, crawled 2026-04-28); Coffee Sensory and Cupping Handbook by Fernández-Alduenda & Giuliano (SCA, 2021); The Coffee Brewing Handbook by Rob Lingle (SCA, 2011)
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is the largest global coffee trade association. Its stated purpose is to “make coffee better for everyone” by fostering a global community and supporting specialty coffee as a thriving, equitable, and sustainable industry.
Key Activities
- World of Coffee — flagship global trade show series (European edition: 13,000+ attendees)
- World Coffee Championships — operates and governs global competitions including Brewers Cup, Barista Championship, Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits, Cup Tasters, Roasting Championship, and Cezve/Ibrik
- Research and standards — publishes cupping protocols, brewing standards, and quality frameworks used industry-wide (see Cupping (Cata), Brewing Standards, Coffee Brewing Control Chart)
- Education — SCA curriculum and certifications; Lecture Series at World of Coffee events
- Publications — including the Coffee Sensory and Cupping Handbook and Coffee Brewing Handbook
Standards Referenced in This Wiki
The SCA’s cupping protocol and the SCA Flavor Wheel are the primary industry-standard tools used throughout this wiki for sensory evaluation. See Cupping (Cata) and Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel.
The SCA Brewing Control Chart (Gold Cup standard) defines the accepted ranges for extraction yield and brew strength. See Coffee Brewing Control Chart and Brewing Standards.
CEO
Yannis Apostolopoulos, as of 2025–2026.
Contact
- General/exhibitor: info@sca.coffee
- Sponsorships: sponsorships@sca.coffee
- Website: sca.coffee