THE Q COFFEE PROGRAM
The Q Coffee Program was developed by the Coffee Quality Institute as a grading system to measure coffee quality and as the first step towards a marketplace specifically for quality coffees. It is designed to complement existing sourcing systems and to be a convenient and transparent market mechanism for buyers and sellers of high-qualitycoffees, guaranteeing quality while promoting social responsibility.
What Is Q Coffee?
The Coffee Quality Institute (CQI)*, defines Q Coffee as “a coffee that earns a minimum of 80 points out of 100 using industry accepted standards and graded by Licensed Q Graders by CQI or at an in-country partner facility.”
CQI is an organization dedicated to improving “the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it.” All quoted material in this article is from the CQI website, www.coffeeinstitute.org
Q Grading
In conjunction with in-country partners (ICPs), the CQI offers Q Grading services in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The Q Grading system defines specific measures of quality based on industry accepted standards developed by the Technical Standards Committee of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). Q Grading certificates, valid for six months, are issued to sellers for use in marketing a specific lot of coffee, offering buyers “picture” of its particular flavor profile. Licensed Q Graders are “professional cuppers accredited by the Coffee Quality Institute. These Q Graders must pass a rigorous three-day exam to earn their certification.”
- There are only five certified Q Coffee countries: Costa Rica,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. - Colombia is currently taking steps to join the
Q Coffee community. - CQI also offers Q Grading Services at
its headquarters in Long Beach, CA.
Q Coffee Program Benefits
Improving trade efficiency
The Q Coffee Program has enabled coffee producers
to earn a quality-based premium over traditional
markets; it also helps producers link up with appropriate
markets for their coffees and gives them
benchmarks for future quality improvements.
For buyers, “the Q rating results serve as an ‘invitation to taste’ ”—streamlining the process of evaluating coffees and helping to build relationships with suppliers.
Improving the lives of coffee workers
- In Guatemala, a library is being built at a school in the village of Paraxaj.
- In Pueblo Nuevo, Nicaragua, a school is receiving furniture, supplies,
and funds to repair its roof. - In Turrialba, Costa Rica, a senior residence that houses mostly retired
coffee pickers received funds for improvements and for refrigerated
storage capacity in the kitchen. - In Nicaragua, the Q Auction helped provide clean drinking water to Musun,
a community which suffered an ecological disaster.
Promoting excellence in the coffee community
The Q Coffee trademark is increasingly recognized by the industry and consumers as a mark of quality and social responsibility. Boyd Coffee Company is pleased to include Q Coffee in its portfolio of coffees available for purchase.
CONTACTS
To learn more about Q Coffee Trading:
Contact the Coffee Quality Institute at 562.624.4190 or email Ted Lingle at tlingle@coffeeinstitute.org
For more about Q Coffee program history, goals, and projects:
Visit the CQI website at www.coffeeinstitute.org
NEXT MONTH’S TOPIC: Building a Better Coffee Community
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