San Diego – Qahwa World
CQI Coffee Corps is a peer-to-peer education program that enlists experienced coffee professionals as volunteers to help producers build capacity in topics related to coffee quality.
Since its inception in 2002, hundreds of Coffee Corps volunteers have created professional development opportunities for thousands of producers in coffee communities around the world in service of CQI’s mission.
The program has been dormant since the global coronavirus pandemic, but CQI is reactivating it in 2026 as the organization marks its 30th anniversary.
“The CQI Coffee Corps program represents the very best of the coffee sector,” said Coffee Quality Institute CEO Michael Sheridan.
“Coffee Corps volunteers embody a spirit of generosity and collaboration that has expanded opportunities for producers and made our industry stronger.
As we recommit to our mission to foster development in coffee communities, I can’t imagine doing it without the support of a new generation of CQI Coffee Corps volunteer leaders.”
You may like to read: CQI CEO Michael Sheridan Highlights Strong Q1 2026 Momentum
Coffee Corps volunteers have driven impact in coffee communities through support for a broad range of activities, including sensory evaluation, post-harvest processing, enterprise management, and trade development.
Their work has been pivotal in supporting advances in quality in established coffee origins like Colombia and Ethiopia, and in developing new sources of quality coffee in places like Laos and Myanmar.
“The beauty of Coffee Corps is in the sheer number of benefits it provides,” stated T.J. Ryan, Managing Director of Programs at CQI.
“It provides projects with access to world-class coffee expertise while allowing coffee experts a chance to give back and apply their technical know-how to solve coffee sector problems.
It also helps expand networks, building the potential for future benefits. I am very pleased that we are reactivating this program comprised of exceptional professionals.”
Also today, CQI published four new volunteer opportunities in connection with Brewing Better Futures, a farm worker innovation pilot led by the independent nonprofit organization Verité.
Further information regarding Coffee Corps, volunteer opportunities, and requirements are available on the Coffee Quality Institute’s website.
About Coffee Quality Institute
CQI is a non-profit organization that works globally to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it.
For thirty years, CQI has trained people who produce and process coffee in more than thirty coffee-growing countries around the world.
