Specialty Coffee Association's U.S. branch requests postponement of ‘championships’ in New Orleans

In an open letter published at its website and on social media, the U.S division of the Specialty Coffee Association is requesting a postponement of United States Coffee Championships, which is scheduled to take place in New Orleans at the Specialty Coffee Expo from Sep. 30 to Oct. 3.

In its letter dated Sep. 3, the National Committee of the U.S. Chapter of the SCA cited, as key reasons for the postponement call, the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the “dire” situation that New Orleans’ residents and its coffee workers are currently facing following Hurricane Ida.

As of now, the SCA is planning to go ahead with the competition in New Orleans.

Daily Coffee News reported that the U.S. Coffee Competition show floor, stages and allied exhibits usually occupy about one-third of the total show floor at the Specialty Coffee Expo. DCN is the online news brand of Roast Magazine.

The open letter begins:

“To our U.S. Coffee Community,

As leadership of the United States Competitions Committee and the United States Chapter of the Specialty Coffee Association, it is our responsibility to ensure that every event we hold is safe, enjoyable and enriching for everyone who participates. We want you to have an extraordinary experience, so that you’re able to perform at your highest level with the full support of your community. We want the local community that hosts these competitions to have an opportunity to welcome and support these events in ways that highlight the unique role coffee plays in their businesses and neighborhoods.

We take this responsibility seriously – particularly as it relates to your safety – and as of today we are working closely with the Specialty Coffee Association and encouraging them to postpone the United States Coffee Championships scheduled to take place in New Orleans Sep. 30-Oct 3.

Within the context of the ongoing pandemic, we are thoughtfully considering the presence, health and safety of the entire group of participants of the USCC event. This includes competitors, judges, volunteers, sponsors and the support teams that surround each of you. We must take into account the dire situation that the residents and Coffee Workers of New Orleans are currently facing following Hurricane Ida. Holding a competition in a city that has been tremendously impacted less than 30 days prior by one of the most significant storms to hit the U.S. coastline in modern times is simply not appropriate…

Click here to continue reading the letter.

Established in January 2017, the Specialty Coffee Association is the unification of the SCA of America and SCA of Europe. The former Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) was established in 1982 by a small group of coffee professionals seeking a common forum to discuss issues and set quality standards for the specialty coffee trade. The former Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) was formed at a meeting of representatives of the European coffee community in London in 1998. By 2016, both organizations had close to 10,000 members combined and supported a thriving network of volunteer-led chapters across Europe.