US Chapter Response to Specialty Coffee Expo

To our US Coffee Community: 

We want to thank SCA Global for listening to our concerns and for demonstrating their agreement with us by taking action in response to our letter of recommendation to postpone USCC activities planned for the New Orleans Expo. We think this is the right outcome considering the insurmountable circumstances around hosting events in the New Orleans region at this time. We want to thank all the competitors, volunteers, judges, sponsors, and other participants for the considerable commitments and contributions they’ve made to the USCC program to date. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to the next series of competitions in the near future. 

Announced earlier today, SCA has also decided to continue moving forward with hosting the remainder of Expo events in New Orleans. This is not the decision that we as a Chapter have been advocating for, alongside many other coffee professionals and organizations. The US Chapter has a mission of inclusivity and accessibility, and hosting an event that is unable to meet that mission due to the effects of Hurricane Ida and the ongoing pandemic, is something we cannot support. Nonetheless, we do sincerely wish for a safe and rewarding experience for those planning to attend and contribute to the event. The memories, friendships, and learning experiences that have blossomed at Expo year after year are one of a kind, and we truly wish for those to continue for all who choose to participate in New Orleans. 

We understand that this event is in the service of coffee professionals with a complex web of needs both locally and globally. We support every person’s individual decision and respect the factors that one may have considered when choosing to participate this year. Please continue to prepare to comply with all COVID-19 safety protocols that are required for attendance in New Orleans. 

We must also honor those individuals, organizations, and communities that have shared and connected with us to discourage Expo from taking place in New Orleans. We empathize with this community that asked us not to come and are prioritizing their feedback. We’re sharing information through our chapter Instagram page @sca_us about fundraisers, resources, and other support opportunities for the New Orleans community. This info will be saved to our highlights for easy reference. We will continue to find additional ways to support the coffee community in New Orleans and beyond during this critical time. If you have any feedback, additional information, or would like to speak further with our group, please reach out to uschapter@sca.coffee. 

We will continue to advocate for better communication and transparency from SCA leadership in ways that aim to build stronger relationships and more firm alignment with the shared values of our US coffee community. We will also seek to better understand ways to work together to deliver programs in the US that remain accessible, safe, and inclusive, and supportive of achieving both shared and unique goals for the communities that we serve. 

Sincerely,

The National Committee of the US Chapter of the SCA

The US Coffee Competitions Committee