Blue Bottle Resigns from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)

December 1st, 2017, 3:38 pm

http://sprudge.com/blue-bottle-resigns- ... 28513.html

From the article:

Breaking news coming out of Oakland today as Blue Bottle-one of the "Big 4" roasters in specialty coffee-has announced that effective immediately, they are withdrawing from participation in the Specialty Coffee Association due to the SCA's decision to host World Championship events in Dubai as well as the controversial Deferred Candidate Policy (read more about the decisions and what they mean here and here). They join Counter Culture as the only two of the Big 4 to come out publicly against the SCA's recent decisions, but Blue Bottle is the first to resign its membership.
In a phone interview yesterday, Blue Bottle founder James Freeman tells Sprudge, "After surveying our own staff, there was overwhelming agreement that the SCA's response has not been adequate. So we've decided to withdraw our membership from the SCA and not participate in any SCA events, and not pay them money for anything until hopefully they come to their senses."

To reach this decision, Blue Bottle higher-ups sent out a company-wide survey, with a vast majority of the 68 responses being in favor of withdrawal from the SCA. In that same survey, a majority of respondents also stated that they found SCA to be very important to their overall professional development. And while the conclusion jibes with Freeman's own inclinations, he made it clear that this move is not a function of his own feelings but that of the people's comprising the company. "It's not just my opinion, it's nothing unilateral," Freeman tells me. "It's our community speaking very, very clearly and consistently to us that they don't want to be part of this decision the SCA made."

#2: Post by **aecletec** » December 1st, 2017, 7:07 pm

Interestingly Marshall Fuss pointed out that Nestle, who now owns Blue Bottle has invested in a new Dubai facility.
https://www.nestle-me.com/en/media/pres ... g-facility

#3: Post by **another_jim** » December 1st, 2017, 7:34 pm

It's one thing to open a factory in a repressive country; quite another to invite people to a competition where first prize can be life imprisonment. You'd think the safety of competitors is something competition sponsors might consider. Instead, the SCA has opted for a panel that will decide whether you are unsafe enough to qualify for a free pass to compete somewhere else at some other date.

#4: Post by **JayBeck** » December 1st, 2017, 7:44 pm

#5: Post by **allwooba** » December 1st, 2017, 10:57 pm

Whether it's Nestle pulling its corporate strings, or Blue Botlle tugging on what's left of its independence, I say mazel tov. The SCA need not sell its soul to the highest, most intolerant bidders. Gonna look for some Blue Bottle tomorrow.

#6: Post by **OldNuc** » December 2nd, 2017, 9:53 am

The SCA has clearly located the DUMB button and pressed it.

#7: Post by **weebit_nutty** » December 8th, 2017, 9:30 pm

Great news... Good on BB, I say. SCA has become nothing but marketing tools.

#8: Post by **viveur** » December 16th, 2017, 1:54 pm

On smaller scale, Tim Wendelboe isn't renewing SCA membership and Sprudge aren't going either. There are probably more.

#9: Post by **cmin** » December 16th, 2017, 3:15 pm

F*** the SCA, hope everyone pulls away from them for pulling this stunt in that country of all places to hold it.... I mean I could careless if someone is gay or not, but their whole stance and their "fix" for that issue with competitors was ridiculous, never-mind all the other issues of holding in said country with ass backwards laws as if you lived in the middle ages.

Obviously someone greased their hands big time, just like Dubai has thrown f.u. money towards other events in various industries.

Sprudge pulled out last month as well

#10: Post by **Marshall** » December 20th, 2017, 11:31 pm

Although World Coffee Events (WCE, an SCA subsidiary) is a client, I am not speaking for them on this occasion, but I thought some background would be helpful. The specific Dubai 2018 championship events are the Cezve/Ibrik Championship (18 - 22 February), World Brewers Cup, World Cup Tasters Championship, and World Coffee Roasting Championship (16 - 18 September at GulfHost as part of Dubai International Hospitality Week).

Only two venues in the world were willing to bid on these events. Roasting competitions are particularly difficult to hold in an exposition hall because of venting and air pollution issues. Dubai had hosted several coffee championships in the past without incident and without criticism. Dubai also has excellent facilities with very professional staff. In retrospect it might have been better to anticipate the angry reaction, which might have happened with a larger search committee, but contracts were signed months ago.

Boycotting one country or region because of its legal or social atmosphere will be a slippery slope, as the world is full of countries with questionable policies, not the least of which is the U.S., which has banned Iranian visitors for years and now will ban residents of Crimea and a large number of Muslim countries.

There is also the issue of snubbing the Middle East coffee community, which has a growing legion of baristas, roasters and retailers who are eager to make contacts with the broader coffee world. What would be a better region to hold the Cezve/Ibrik competition?

Finally, almost none of the critics are considering the consequences of breaching the contracts with the Dubai organizers. In addition to money damages, litigation costs and personal risks to WCE and SCA senior staff, there will be the damage to WCE's ability to negotiate for future venues if it loses its reputation for honoring contracts.

The details of the "deferred competition" policy are still being worked out, and I do not know how it will be resolved, but I did not want the HB community left with the impression that this was a good vs. evil problem.