Industry Certifications
Professional certifications that can advance your coffee career
SCA Coffee Skills Program
The Specialty Coffee Association offers a comprehensive certification program covering:
- Introduction to Coffee
- Barista Skills (Foundation to Professional)
- Brewing (Foundation to Professional)
- Green Coffee (Foundation to Professional)
- Sensory Skills (Foundation to Professional)
- Roasting (Foundation to Professional)
Q Grader Certification
The Coffee Quality Institute's Q Grader certification is the gold standard for coffee quality assessment. Q Graders are licensed to evaluate and score coffees using the SCA cupping protocol.
- Arabica Q Grader
- Robusta Q Grader
- Q Processing certification courses
SCAE Certifications (Europe)
European coffee professionals often pursue certifications through national coffee associations affiliated with SCA Europe, including:
- National barista championships
- Latte Art competitions
- Cup Tasters championships
- Roasting competitions
Coffee Career Paths
Explore different paths in the specialty coffee industry
Cafe Operations
Barista
→
Senior Barista
→
Head Barista
→
Cafe Manager
→
Operations Manager
Roasting
Production Assistant
→
Roaster
→
Head Roaster
→
Roasting Director
Green Coffee
Quality Control
→
Green Coffee Buyer
→
Sourcing Director
→
Importer
Education & Consulting
Trainer
→
AST (Authorized SCA Trainer)
→
Consultant
Essential Skills
Key skills valued across the coffee industry
Technical Skills
- Espresso extraction & dialing in
- Milk steaming & latte art
- Manual brewing methods
- Cupping & sensory evaluation
- Roast profiling
- Equipment maintenance
- Water chemistry basics
Soft Skills
- Customer service excellence
- Team leadership
- Time management
- Communication
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
- Adaptability
Business Skills
- Inventory management
- Cost control
- Staff scheduling
- Training & development
- Quality control systems
- Vendor relationships
- Sales & upselling
Learning Resources
Continue your coffee education
Books
- The World Atlas of Coffee - James Hoffmann
- Craft Coffee - Jessica Easto
- The Coffee Roaster's Companion - Scott Rao
- Espresso Coffee - Andrea Illy
- God in a Cup - Michaele Weissman
Online Courses
- SCA Online Learning Platform
- Barista Hustle courses
- Cafe Imports education series
- Boot Coffee courses
- YouTube: James Hoffmann, Sprometheus
Podcasts
- Cat & Cloud Coffee Podcast
- Boss Barista
- Filter Stories
- I Brew My Own Coffee
- Keys to the Shop
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