In the coffee world, there are two organizations that have the most influence on the coffee industry: the
International Coffee Organization (ICO) and the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). When you read any news from
the coffee world, you see these names here and there, and it is not easy to understand what exactly each
organization is responsible for, why there are two of them at all (or why they can’t be merged into one), and what
information product they produce.
In this article, we'll talk about all of this so you understand and don't get confused between them in the
future.
International Coffee Organization (ICO).
The ICO was established in 1963 in London, under the auspices of the United Nations, in response to the
growing economic importance of coffee in the global economy.
The ICO is responsible for the International Coffee
Agreement (ICA), an important instrument for promoting cooperation in the coffee industry worldwide. Therefore,
the ICO periodically supplements and amends the ICA to meet modern needs, requirements and challenges of the
time. This is an organization of international importance that sets requirements and standards for the functioning
of the entire global coffee market in general.
Here are the main characteristics of its activities:
• To promote international cooperation in the coffee sector and to support the sustainable development of
the coffee sector;
• To oversee various aspects of the world coffee market, including production, consumption, trade and price
regulation;
• To provide a forum for member countries to discuss and address issues affecting the coffee sector, such as
market instability, price fluctuations, sustainability issues, etc.;
• To conduct research, collect data and disseminate information to its member countries and other
stakeholders to assist in decision-making and the development of regional policies on the coffee market.
The main outputs of the ICO are:
• Various information and statistics on coffee production, consumption, trade and prices (reports, databases
and analysis results) for stakeholders to understand trends and dynamics of the world coffee market;
• To improve coffee policies and strategies aimed at promoting the sustainable development of the coffee
sector;
• Technical and technological assistance and engagement in capacity-building programs for coffee-producing
countries, helping them improve productivity, quality, and sustainable practices in coffee growing and processing in
their territories.
Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)
• SCA is a non-profit organization founded in 1982 in the USA. Today it has its headquarters in the USA and
numerous branches around the world that deal with issues at regional levels;
• SCA works to promote improvement and innovation in the specialty coffee industry, so that more coffee in
the world is grown as specialty, that is, so that quality prevails over quantity, and all market participants receive a
fair payment for their contribution to the development of quality;
• SCA`s work focuses specifically on the high-quality segment of the coffee market, not competing in its field
with the ICO;
• SCA does not develop standards for all coffee - only specialty (in particular, the SCA scale and criteria for
evaluating coffee on this scale according to evaluation protocols). Specialty coffee industry standards and best
practices include requirements for quality control, sustainable production, ethical business principles, etc. These
standards help ensure consistency and excellence throughout the specialty coffee supply chain;
• SCA’s mission is to advance knowledge about quality coffee and set industry standards for high-quality and
sustainable specialty coffee;
• SCA offers a variety of educational programs to stakeholders, seminars and certifications for coffee
professionals, including baristas, roasters and coffee tasters. Training is provided on topics such as brewing,
roasting, sensory analysis, finding good green coffee and developing barista skills;
• SCA organizes various events, competitions and conferences in many countries around the world, where
coffee professionals can network, demonstrate their skills and stay up to date on the latest trends and
developments in the specialty coffee industry. It is under the auspices of SCA that various global competitions and
competitions for professionals (baristas, roasters and tasters) take place;
• SCA produces a range of publications, research articles, guides and online resources to support specialty
coffee market professionals in their work.
Merging these two organizations (and others like them) into one is not possible because they are
subordinate to different conjunctural organizations, are located in different geographical locations, cover different
processes in the coffee world, and reinforce, rather than duplicate, each other’s work. It is like considering merging
NASA and EASA simply because they perform similar functions.
• SCA organizuje różne imprezy, konkursy i konferencje w wielu krajach na całym świecie, gdzie specjaliści od kawy mogą nawiązywać kontakty, demonstrować swoje umiejętności i być na bieżąco z najnowszymi trendami i rozwój w branży kawy specjalistycznej. Jest pod auspicjami SCA, że różne globalne konkursy i odbywają się konkursy dla profesjonalistów (baristów, palaczy i degustatorów);