Working with our partners, CQI saw an impactful year providing training and technical assistance to coffee communities around the globe. Once COVID-19 released its crippling hold on gatherings, travel, and in-person training, we were able to return to full implementation of activities and deliver on our 2022 goals.
2022 CQI project reach:
- 26 Activities with 7 program partners in 7 countries
- 450 People trained – 33% women
- 33 Non-student beneficiaries
- 2000+ Event attendees
- $150,000 – CQI in-kind contributions
“As a result of the Q Processing training, I plan to focus on making improvements on data recording and instruments, fermentation operations and controlling temperature and moisture.”
- Rwanda INC trainee, coffee washing station manager
We extend a heartfelt thank you to the coffee professionals who volunteered their time to work with CQI and our partners to deliver impactful training and meaningful exchanges of ideas, values, and knowledge.
We worked with many volunteer coffee specialists throughout the year to deliver on our commitments. With their hard work and support, we were able to implement dozens of activities across a number of programs to improve coffee quality, build capacity, and create meaningful market linkages.
Our volunteers endured a few rough moments this year as we moved them around the post-COVID world: long, long days of travel, complications, risks of getting COVID-19, and even personal obstacles.
Thank you all CQI volunteers - your time and effort does indeed positively impact coffee communities.
2022 Volunteers:
1. Cherry Cruz – Quality Evaluation
2. Drew Burnett – Capacity Building
3. Ermanno Perotti – Post Harvest Processing
4. Leo Purba Wiriadjaja – Post Harvest Processing
5. Luz Stella Artajo – Capacity Building
6. Natchapat Srichandr – Quality Evaluation
7. Newerly Gutierrez – Capacity Building
8. Paul Kim –Market Development & Linkages
9. Robert Francisco – Quality Evaluation
10. Rocky Rhodes – Roaster training
11. Ryan Shin – Market Development & Linkages
12. Sam Choi - Quality Evaluation
13. Shaun Ong – Market Development & Linkages
14. Sunil Pinto - Quality Evaluation
15. Thomas James Ameloot - Quality Evaluation
"I volunteer because I believe in CQI's mission and that the work we do improves people's lives in multiple ways."
– Thomas Ameloot, Q Arabica and Robusta Instructor
"Participants were actively engaged and enthusiastic. I feel this impact was immense in helping engage and improve the arabica and robusta industry on both the producing and consuming sides.”
– Thomas Ameloot, Q Arabica and Robusta Instructor
" I do believe in the CQI mission and vision, and in the last years I have seen the impact that standardized and calibrated knowledge and terminology have on coffee producers. It is also inspiring to deliver training in different countries and different coffee cultures. It is an exceptional learning experience, being able to explore issues, challenges, and best practices from all over. This extremely enriches my knowledge. In addition to that, the relationships you build during these training, happening in professional but informal friendly environments, are extremely valuable and, most of the times, are longer term relationships that evolve in business and exchange of experiences. This is what pushed me to volunteer for CQI."
– Ermanno Perotti, QP1 & QP2 Instructor
“Porque el CQI es una institución con la cual me identifico como profesional del cafe, y así como paso conmigo cuando necesitaba apoyo en mi formación profesional en el año 2009, y lo conseguí en CQI gracias a personas voluntarias que hicieron su trabajo con mucha dedicación, en esa ocasión apoyados por ADIVOCA Colombia, siento que debía regresar algo de tanto que me ha dado CQI, por eso lo hice y lo haría las veces que sean necesarias.”
– Newerley Gutierrez Falla, Q Arabica Grader
“My journey in my coffee career has provided me with a lot of experiences and friends in the industry. I love the way we all are part of one big community. I want to give back and encourage more people to appreciate this coffee journey. Volunteering gives me that opportunity.”
– Cherry Cruz, Q Arabica & Robusta Assistant Instructor
"I had the opportunity of learning about the coffee producing systems in Philippines as well as understand the challenges of other coffee environments in the world and how research global institutions are facing them. Also, I had the chance to cup Robusta and Arabica coffees from the country and interchanged ideas with local coffee roasters."
- Luz Stella Artajo Medina, Q Arabica & Q Processing Level 1 Instructor
