What Did the Coffee Association Decide on Russia?
In early March 2022, the Specialty Coffee Association issued a statement on Ukraine, condemning Russia's military actions, suspending Russia's eligibility for the World Coffee Championships, and pledging 100 percent of ticket proceeds from the Warsaw World Coffee Expo, set for June 23, 2022, to Ukrainian coffee businesses and professionals.
The coffee association also worked with its Ukrainian chapter leadership after an emergency board meeting. The SCA Poland and Czech chapters jointly sought overseas job opportunities for displaced Ukrainian coffee professionals. Russia's foreign ministry criticized Western sanctions, while the Russian coffee community called for peace, opposed division, and expressed solidarity with Ukraine's coffee community.
In early March 2022, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) issued a statement on the situation in Ukraine, not only strongly condemning Russia's military actions, but also announcing the suspension of Russia's eligibility to participate in the World Coffee Championships, and donating all ticket proceeds from the Warsaw World Coffee Expo to the Ukrainian coffee industry. At the same time, the SCA Poland chapter and the Czech chapter joined forces to seek overseas job opportunities for displaced Ukrainian coffee professionals, while the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized Western sanctions as unacceptable. As coffee lovers, while keeping up with industry developments, don't forget to follow the professional coffee news brought to you by Front Street Coffee.
On March 1, 2022, Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), issued a formal statement on the "SCA's position in solidarity with Ukraine" through the official website and official Instagram account.
This statement (the following content is translated from the original text) points out: The Specialty Coffee Association will stand firmly with the Ukrainian coffee community, because over the past few days, their homeland has continued to suffer Russian military attacks. The SCA strongly condemns the Russian regime's invasion of Ukraine and the violence and displacement it has caused.
The SCA Board of Directors held an emergency special meeting the day before to discuss how to provide support to members of the Ukrainian coffee industry. At the same time, the SCA also communicated directly with the leadership of the Ukrainian chapter to express its solidarity and commitment to overcoming difficulties together.
The SCA decided to donate 100% of the ticket proceeds from the World Coffee Expo held in Warsaw (scheduled for June 23, 2022) to support Ukrainian coffee businesses and coffee professionals. In addition, the SCA also made a difficult decision: to suspend Russia from participating in the World Coffee Championships.
The European coffee community also quickly extended a helping hand to the Ukrainian coffee industry in innovative ways. The Russian coffee community, meanwhile, called for peace, opposed division, and expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian coffee community. The SCA will work with the local Ukrainian chapter and other partners to share resources on official Instagram for displaced Ukrainian coffee professionals and people around the world willing to offer support.
On March 3, the SCA's official Instagram posted that the SCA Poland chapter and the SCA Czech Republic chapter had joined forces and were helping displaced Ukrainian coffee people find job opportunities in other countries.
After that, the SCA's official Instagram posted information every day, on the one hand seeking Ukrainian coffee people in need of assistance, and on the other hand recruiting volunteers around the world willing to provide support.
On March 4, Sputnik Chinese reported, citing reports, that Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said: "The West's illegal restrictions in the international humanitarian field not only go beyond the scope of international law, but are also direct discrimination against ordinary people. Those sanctions involving the right to free movement of people, freedom of public expression, and the use of cultural and informational achievements, as well as sanctions restricting cultural and sports cooperation and personal contacts, are completely unacceptable."
"The Specialty Coffee Association is a nonprofit, membership-based organization that represents thousands of coffee professionals, from producers to baristas all over the world. Built on openness, inclusiveness, and the power of shared knowledge, we foster the global coffee community and support activities that make specialty coffee a thriving, equitable, and sustainable activity for the entire value chain."
—SCA association self-introduction
Image source: Specialty Coffee Association official website/Ins screenshot
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
