Specialty Coffee Associations look at unification

The board of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) is engaged in a process of unification with the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) in a move that the two organisations say will benefit their members and the industry as a whole. Though this formal exploration is recent, the seeds of the idea of a unified organization go back to 2001, according to a statement from SCAA. The SCAA has published a timeline to capture the history of this exploration, and will include links and updates to all communications and information published in the process. So far the process has progressed through phases of engagement between the two organisations and exploratory talks. Starting in September 2015, the SCAA and SCAE conducted a feasibility study for unification of the two organisations. The findings of the study were presented in December 2015, with the boards of the two organisations deciding in January 2016 to proceed with the unification. The two organisations have now developed a preliminary agreement and in April they held a forum for their members at the Annual SCAA Expo in Atlanta to consult on all matters relating to the process. The next phase of the process will encompass decision and planning. More information about the process can be sourced from the SCAA and SCAE directly.