Leading Specialty Coffee Authority SCA Imposes Sanctions: Russia Banned from Coffee Competitions!

SCA Issues a Statement on the Conflict

On March 1, 2022, Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), released a statement titled "SCA's Position in Support of Ukraine" on the organization's official website and Instagram account.

(The following is a translation of the original text.) The statement said that the Specialty Coffee Association stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian coffee community, whose homeland has been under attack in recent days. The SCA strongly condemned the invasion of Ukraine and the resulting violence and displacement.

The SCA Board of Directors held an emergency meeting the previous day to explore ways to support members of the Ukrainian coffee community. The SCA also spoke directly with the leadership of SCA Ukraine to express its solidarity and its commitment to helping them through what it called a senseless war.

The SCA said it would donate 100% of ticket revenue from the World of Coffee exhibition in Warsaw (scheduled for June 23, 2022) to support Ukrainian coffee businesses and coffee professionals. It also announced the difficult decision to suspend Russia's participation in the World Coffee Championships.

How the Global Coffee Community Responded

The European coffee community moved quickly to take innovative approaches to support the Ukrainian coffee community. The Russian coffee community also called for peace, spoke against division, and expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian coffee community. The SCA said it would work with the local Ukrainian chapter and other partners to share resources on its Instagram for displaced Ukrainian coffee professionals and for people around the world willing to support the initiative.

On March 3, SCA's official Instagram posted that SCA Poland and SCA Czech Republic had joined forces to help displaced Ukrainian coffee professionals find employment in other countries.

In the following days, SCA's official Instagram continued posting daily, seeking both Ukrainian coffee professionals in need of support and individuals worldwide willing to provide assistance.

Russian Response to the International Measures

On March 4, Russia's Sputnik News China quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova as saying that Western restrictions on international humanitarian cooperation not only go beyond the scope of international law but also constitute direct discrimination against ordinary people, and that sanctions affecting people's freedom of movement, freedom of expression, the use of cultural and information achievements, and restrictions on cultural and sports cooperation and personal contacts are completely unacceptable.

About the Specialty Coffee Association

"The Specialty Coffee Association is a non-profit, membership-based organization representing thousands of coffee professionals, from producers to baristas around the world. We are built on a foundation of openness, inclusivity, and the power of shared knowledge, fostering global coffee communities and supporting activities that make specialty coffee a thriving, equitable, and sustainable activity throughout the entire value chain."

-- SCA Association self-introduction

Image source: Screenshots from the Specialty Coffee Association official website / Instagram

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