Championing the value of quality

Mission

Our mission is to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of those who produce it.

Our vision is an education system that will pave the path to self-sufficient, thriving, sustainable coffee communities by supporting a common language of coffee and the best scientific practices throughout the value stream to improve quality.

Producers' lives are enriched, they receive appropriate value for their product and are distinguished and respected in the market.

Through education that creates a powerful global network, CQI reduces risk, improves opportunity, and transforms the quality coffee market for the benefit of producers

  • By supporting and perpetuating a global, adept network of coffee professionals.
  • By providing holistic education throughout the value stream that empowers producers, improves quality and market value. 
  • By creating and supporting market connections.

Coffee Quality Institute is a fully independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Our pathway

Thirty years of supporting coffee

  • Since 1996, Coffee Quality Institute has worked to create a more stable industry, recognizing that the strength of producers is the basis of a secure coffee industry.
  • in 2004 CQI introduced the Q (quality) Coffee System, a cycle of education, evaluation, certification and a common language that transformed how coffee was bought and sold. The Q Grader certification became one of the most valuable professional credentials for the holder and the industry as a whole. By 2024, CQI celebrated the twentieth anniversary of that program and a network of ten thousand Q Graders, working throughout the coffee value stream, making huge strides in democratizing the way quality was communicated. In 2025 CQI ceased to administer this mature program, knowing that the thousands of coffee evaluation experts would continue to hold the industry to account, and to respect producer labor by differentiating their
  • In 2016 the post-harvest processing (PHP) program debuted. Designed to raise literacy in consuming countries and to provide important tools for producers to manage risk and increase value through post-harvest processing practices, the curriculum is building a global network of highly skilled producers. In 2025 CQI chose to direct the entirety of its efforts to post-harvest processing education and other activities closely connected with producers and their seminal place in the coffee industry.
OUR RECORD

Annual Report

Comprehensive report detailing CQI’s activities

Download 2023 Report