Specialty Coffee Associations of America and Europe Announce World Coffee Event Joint Venture

LONG BEACH, CA and LONDON–(Marketwire – October 7, 2010) –  The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) announce the formation of World Coffee Events (WCE), a nonprofit joint venture that will develop and manage competitive events on behalf of both organizations.

“The WCE organization will build upon the close partnership established between the SCAA and SCAE from our collaboration operating highly successful competitions like the World Barista Championship, World Cup Tasters Championship and others,” commented SCAA Executive Director Ric Rhinehart.

In addition to the World Barista Championship and World Cup Tasters Championship, the WCE organization will operate the annual World Latte Art Championship, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, World Cevze / Ibrik Championship and new competitions currently under development. In 2011 alone, WCE branded events will be held in more than 50 countries with the support of thousands of dedicated volunteers in front of a vast audience of live and Internet viewers. 

“Coffee is one of the few products with the potential of connecting on a personal level with hundreds of millions of producers and consumers in practically every corner of the globe,” observed SCAE Executive Director Mick Wheeler. “The move to create a combined global coffee event organization is the direct result of strong demand for competitive events that are exciting, inspiring and promote excellence in our craft.” 

The 11^th annual World Barista Championship will be held June 2-5, 2011 in Bogota, Colombia. The next World Latte Art, World Coffee in Good Spirits, World Cup Tasters, and Cevze/Ibrik Championships will be held June 22-24, 2011 in Maastricht, The Netherlands.

About the Specialty Coffee Association of America
The Specialty Coffee Association of America is the world’s largest coffee trade association. SCAA’s 3,000 members are located in more than 40 countries and represent every segment of the specialty coffee industry. Dedicated to creating a vibrant trade community, the SCAA conducts coffee research, defines quality standards, provides training resources and business services for its members. For more information, visit http://www.scaa.org.

About the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe
The Speciality Coffee Association of Europe is Europe’s premier coffee trade association with members in more than 70 countries. The SCAE communicates the latest developments in the specialty coffee industry to its membership, conducts professional training and certification programs, organizes origin site visits and conferences, and is a recognized authority with government organizations to lobby for coffee quality causes. For additional information about the association, visit http://www.scae.com.

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