Coffee Quality Institute and Specialty Coffee Association announce grant agreement to support CQI projects
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (April 26, 2025) Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) is pleased to announce a grant agreement with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) that will provide vital and ongoing funding for CQI’s project work in the places where coffee is produced. Under the agreement, SCA will contribute a percentage of its annual education revenues to CQI to support its development work and advance its mission to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it.
“It is hard to overestimate the importance of this agreement for CQI and the people we serve,” said CQI CEO Michael Sheridan. “At a time when traditional sources of funding for development assistance are being eliminated, SCA is stepping into the vacuum and demonstrating real leadership. Its financial commitment to CQI will enable us to expand the scope of our work in the places where coffee is grown.”
"The Specialty Coffee Association is honored to support the Coffee Quality Institute’s development work and its vital role in advancing inclusive, sustainable development across the coffee sector” said SCA CEO Yannis Apostolopoulos. “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to center producers, recognize the full value of coffee, and make coffee better for everyone across the value chain."
For more than 20 years, CQI has trained people who produce and process coffee in more than 30 coffee-growing countries around the world with funding from public and private-sector donors. This grant agreement makes SCA a leading investor in CQI’s work to improve coffee quality.
CEOs from the two organizations signed the agreement today during CQI’s 25th Annual Luncheon at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Houston.
About Coffee Quality Institute
CQI is a non-profit that works globally to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it.
About the Specialty Coffee Association
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is the largest global coffee trade association dedicated to making coffee better by fostering a global coffee community and supporting activities to make specialty coffee a thriving, equitable, and sustainable endeavour for the entire value chain.
Through collaboration and progressive approaches, it supports the industry through research, standards, education, and events. Working around the world, the SCA elevates worldwide standards, providing value and connectivity to the growing global community.
