The Cup of Excellence (CoE) and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) have officially partnered with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). This collaboration was formalized today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the World of Coffee Copenhagen trade show.

Historically, CoE, ACE, and SCA have worked independently, with occasional collaborations on smaller projects. This formal partnership leverages their combined strengths to create a significant impact on coffee producers, the industry, and consumers alike.

Erwin Mierisch, Executive Director of Cup of Excellence and Alliance for Coffee Excellence, highlighted the partnership’s potential: “For too many years, our organizations have walked separate paths. This long-awaited partnership is just the beginning of the positive impact expected for farmers, producing countries, and roasters searching for high quality. From education to quality analysis to outreach and information-sharing, huge opportunities abound to drive specialty coffee in the right direction.”

The initial focus of the partnership will be to integrate the descriptive and scoring portions of the CVA analysis protocol into the Cup of Excellence competition structure. CoE professional head judges and staff, along with the SCA technical team, will jointly assess, refine, and adapt the CVA form to the competition, ensuring fair and impartial judging and sensory analysis of competition and auctioned coffees.

Education and cupper certification will also be pivotal in this partnership. The aim is to enhance the skills and recognition of in-country cuppers, whose expertise is crucial to the foundation of specialty coffees.

Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association, remarked, “This partnership goes beyond improving quality assessment; it aims to enhance the entire coffee ecosystem. By collaborating and sharing expertise, we will set new standards that benefit everyone from producers to consumers, ultimately making coffee better for all.”

The World of Coffee Copenhagen event, where the MoU signing took place, served as an ideal backdrop for this announcement. The synergy between the organizations promises significant positive changes to the industry, showcasing award-winning coffees and the remarkable work of CoE and ACE in discovering and rewarding producers.