“New Opportunities For Leadership”: The Next Generation at #NCAUSA

April 13, 2018April 17, 2018 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

Standing room only at the first NCA Next Generation Council educational session

Highlights from the National Coffee Association 2018 Convention

From the NCA Next Generation Council

The NCA Next Generation Council hosted its first annual Educational Breakout Session on the morning of March 15, at the NCA 2018 Convention in New Orleans. The event is part of the NextGen’s larger initiative to support talented young professionals who are passionate about the coffee industry.

Judging by attendance, the inaugural installment was a huge success – standing room only!

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How a Nonprofit Is Fighting “One of the Great Inequities in Health Care” For Women Coffee Producers

March 25, 2018April 9, 2018 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

Photo: Grounds for Health via Evan Gilman, @evan.gilman

Supporting Coffee Communities at Origin: Q&A with Grounds For Health, the 2018 NCA Origin Charity of The Year Award Winner

The National Coffee Association is proud to recognize Grounds For Health as the first-ever recipient of the NCA Origin Charity of the Year Award, for their work providing cervical cancer screenings and treatment for women working in the coffeelands. The 2018 award is generously sponsored by Mother Parker’s Tea & Coffee, and was presented by Michael Gaviña, NCA Chair, on March 16 at the NCA 2018 Annual Convention in New Orleans.

NCA Origin Charity of the Year Award Winner

The NCA Origin Charity of the Year Award is part of the NCA Coffee Gives Back Showcase & Award Program, to recognize the outstanding impact of nonprofits dedicated to supporting coffee communities at origin. (Learn more about NCA Coffee Gives Back Showcase & Award eligibility and application requirements.)

“Our work in the coffee regions of Latin American and East Africa has been supported in great measure by the coffee industry,” says Ellen Starr, Executive Director, Grounds for Health, in the NCA news release. “Our relationship demonstrates just how much social change can be achieved when an industry fundamentally cares about its people at every step of the supply chain.”

Here, Star discusses what it’s like treating one of the greatest health care inequities facing developing nations, her experience working with the coffee community, and how the organization is scaling up.

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The Future (of Coffee) is Female

March 8, 2018March 8, 2018 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

Why International Women’s Day matters to the coffee industry

Women are essential to the coffee supply chain – but too often their contributions go unrecognized and unrewarded. Disenfranchisement and gender inequity are perpetuated through a myriad of economic, systemic, and cultural issues (from the insidious to the overt).

However, through hard work and persistence, we’re beginning to see a powerful (and empowering) change across the industry. These inspiring initiatives are fueled by new (and overdue) research on women in coffee, which gives us critical data to measure real impact.

But there is still a long way to go.

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New Orleans Credited With Creating the Coffee Break

February 13, 2018 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

“It is a little thing perhaps, this drinking of coffee at odd times, but it is very characteristic of the city itself. Men in New Orleans give more thought to the business of living than men in other American cities.”
– Excerpt from “Fabulous New Orleans” by Lyle Saxon

Join the National Coffee Association in NOLA on March 15-17 for the NCA Annual Convention 2018, and connect with the coffee community while experiencing one of the most vibrant – and historical – cities in America.

The following excerpt is from the Times-Picayune

New Orleans has long been a coffee city.

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Join the NCA Next Generation in New Orleans

February 12, 2018February 12, 2018 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

NCA_Web_social_nextgen_convention

Introducing a New Breakout Session for Young Professionals at the NCA 2018 Convention

The NCA Next Generation Council is proud to announce its first annual NCA Convention Breakout Session on Thursday, March 15 at 9:30am, open to all Next Gen delegates and prospective members.

This pre-conference session is aimed at providing the under-40 coffee community with tailored content that will be especially relevant to attendees. While there will be organized presentations, this is intended to be an informal event. Our goal is to fill a room with Next Gen coffee constituents and provide helpful information, as well as a platform to ask questions and voice what they want out of the NCA’s Next Gen initiatives (we’re still a very young initiative, after all).

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Tricks of the Trade (Show): 9 Steps to Exhibitor Success

February 8, 2018April 11, 2018 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

[Editor’s note: Learn more about exhibitor opportunities at the NCA Annual Convention 2018 in New Orleans, March 15-17]

This post originally appeared on Perfect Daily Grind

Are you exhibiting at a coffee festival or trade show? Or considering it?

Exhibiting is a good business choice. It’s a straightforward, face-to-face way of engaging with your community and clients (current and future). It can allow you to shape the face of your business. And it’s an opportunity to make a more lasting impression than some methods of digital outreach.

Yet without the right preparation, you won’t see the return on investment you’re looking for. Being able to own your space and maximize your engagement with others is key but far from easy, while having to be “on” and present at all times can be a challenge. So before shelling out and setting up, make sure you’re ready.

Feeling daunted? Don’t worry; we’re here to tell you how to make exhibiting a solid business investment. Read on for our 9 steps to seeing an excellent return (and actually enjoying yourself).

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Emerging Trends in Coffee Processing

February 2, 2018 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

David Roche, Coffee Quality Institute Executive Director, will present Emerging Trends in Coffee Processing during the NCA 2018 Convention in New Orleans, March 15-17. (See the full list of educational breakout sessions.)

Here, he explains why the CQI’s work with coffee quality is increasingly relevant today, and what “Q Processing” means.

There are many industry trends that are rapidly changing the quality of coffee, including new origins, genetics, sensory science, and especially coffee processing.

Coffee processing innovations have changed rapidly in recent years, and many “myths” are being broken. Advances in washed, naturals, honey, and other methods have contributed to a diversity of products and an opportunity for the producer to differentiate their coffee quality.

In fact, processing has the single most impact on quality differentiation and many origins have been experimenting commercially with these methods and applying science.

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What’s Ahead for Coffee’s Next Generation

January 16, 2018January 17, 2018 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” — Bill Gates

NCA_Web_Medium_sprouts

Meet the crema of the crop.

BrandonJackson_headshot

The NCA Next Generation initiative was launched last year to help support talented young professionals who are passionate about the coffee industry. (NCA membership is not a prerequisite to join.)

Led by a volunteer board of emerging leaders, the Next Gen group has worked for the past year to develop new networking opportunities, professional development programming, and NCA social media initiatives.

The first Next Gen Breakout Session will be held at the NCA 2018 Annual Convention on March 15 in New Orleans. The educational session will include leadership lessons, investment insights for a young adults, and information on how to get involved.

Here, Brandon Jackson, Vice President in Commodities & Logistics, Brown Brothers Harriman, and the first Chair of the NCA Next Gen Committee, talks about why we need new voices to help guide the coffee industry’s future – and what to expect next.

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