Boyd's Coffee, the oldest family-owned coffee company in the Pacific Northwest, is pleased to announce that Bevin Proehl, Coffee Specialist, recently qualified as a Licensed Q Grader, the industry’s most coveted standard for grading coffee. At this time, of the over 200 Q Graders in the US, fewer than 80 of them are female.
“Boyd’s is dedicated to being an industry leader and supporting women in the coffee industry, and Bevin’s international recognition allows us to ensure the quality and consistency of the coffee we purchase throughout the supply chain,” says Michael Boyd, fourth-generation family member, Coffee Buyer and also a Licensed Q Grader. “We hired the country’s first female coffee buyer, Veda Younger, in 1953, and Bevin Proehl is now the first female Q Grader at Boyd’s.”
The rigorous three-day certification exam measures sensorial, olfactory, triangulation and cupping abilities, and includes a written exam covering general coffee knowledge. Students successfully completing this course will be able to objectively evaluate a coffee based on cup quality and origin and provide feedback on cup nuances, defects and favors as well as demonstrate a thorough understanding of the SCAA cupping and grading standards and protocols, including the SCAA cupping form.
The Q Grader program is a specialty-coffee quality-assurance program overseen by the Coffee Quality Institute. The Q Coffee System is internationally recognized and utilized to uphold specialty coffee standards, creating a baseline to ensure quality coffee controls throughout the world.
According to SCAA standards, a coffee that receives a score of 80 or above is considered specialty, and Q coffees provide an assurance of quality that consumers can trust. While many variables in roasting and brewing affect the taste of coffee, Q coffees confirm that the beans being used are among the highest quality in the world, are properly milled and have distinguishable characteristics that separate them from other coffees.
For information about Boyd Coffee Company’s products and services, call 800-545-4077 or visit www.boyds.com.
About the Coffee Quality Institute: CQI is a nonprofit organization working internationally to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of people who produce it. Since its inception in 1996, CQI has been known in the coffee and development world as the technical service provider, with a menu of offerings that provide technical training and assistance to Arabica and robusta coffee producers, along with many other, in the supply chain. For more information, visit www.coffeeinstitute.org.
About Boyd’s Coffee: Boyd’s Coffee is one of the oldest family-owned coffee companies in the world. Founded in 1900 in Portland, Oregon, Boyd’s has a long, storied history of helping restaurants, hotels and convenience stores attract and keep customers by providing them with consistently excellent coffee, tea and other beverages.
At Boyd’s, we don’t believe that coffee bestows status or makes a statement about the person who drinks it. We believe that people are capable of making their own statements. We hold that coffee is fuel not fashion. It is what it has always been: a reward for good work, done well; and a kick in the pants to get back out there and do some more. That’s the legacy of coffee in America and that’s the Boyd’s legacy as well.
