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38 Tea & Coffee Trade Journal | www.teaandcoffee.net T he Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) burst forth from its chrysalis with a cry that shook the coffee world at home and abroad in 1982. It has continued as a fountainhead of good influence ever since. We should be gratified that some in other lands have chosen to emulate our trade group. We should be delighted that trades people from other countries have chosen to be members of the organization. The SCAA is talking of a merger with its European counterpart SCAE. When I questioned the wisdom of this, I was told by a coffee friend I admire, in part, "Though the SCAA speaks for America's roasters, it hasn't been a 'national' associa- tion for a long time. 'America' may appear in our name, but our membership is international: over 80 countries are represented in our member rolls, and around 30 percent of our members have addresses out- side the U.S. Over 40 percent of the attendees at our annual event are from other countries." American specialty roaster drums have made infinite revolutions since appearing on the American culinary scene in the 1970s. Mark Pendergrast wrote of that now long-ago time, and its heroes, in Uncommon Grounds (Basic Books, 1999). His "scattered band of fanatics" each fought their own personal fight for a better cup, and in time came together to form a trade association for the benefit of their American fellows and the consumer. Those who did this were mostly from the U.S. with wel- comed Canadian friends. "Specialty" was recognized as an American patriotic move- ment within coffee to bring the coffee busi- ness back to its roots and claim a respected place for the American cup that had long been the butt of ridicule. We didn't use the words "artisanal and craft" to define our efforts, but craftsman- ship was part of our credo, and among our core values were our individual feelings of admiration and affection for all the other small independent businesses that were cutting new pathways on the coffee fron- tier. Newcomers to good coffee needed an infrastructure center from which to draw information and strength, and a trade asso- ciation was the logical way to support their efforts to establish themselves and grow their family businesses. That should remain the association's primary goal. In time our intelligence was sensitized to farm families and the environment at ori- gin as well as at home. Our enlightenment engendered a growing interest in extend- ing a welcome to cooperatives, NGOs, and government coffee agencies in coffee growing lands to become full partners as well as stakeholders in the SCAA family. Movements like Certified Organic, Fair Trade, and shade-grown were embraced, and in time membership from other lands swelled our ranks, but we are still the Specialty Coffee Association of America. SCAA inspired specialty coffee asso- ciations around the world, including outposts in Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Honduras, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua and Panama. Each of these asso- ciations and the many producing countries that belong to regional associations such as the African Fine Coffee Association and Australasia Specialty Coffee Association. They all look to SCAA as the world leader in specialty coffee education, networking, and promotion. As our brothers in good coffee, we should share our knowledge with them. We should at the same time celebrate the unique cultural perspective that makes us Americans, and not lose our- selves and our exceptional American coffee ideas in the First Order. Who Speaks for Americans? The SCAA has continued as a fountain- head of good influence for almost 35 years. SCAA stands for truth, freedom, and the American way in coffee. We should be gratified that so many have chosen to emulate our trade group. We should be delighted others have chosen to become members of the organization. Our faith must always be ready to lend our strength to the independent, and the at-risk in coffee. We exist to serve and support them. The membership will not long support an institution they perceive has glorified itself at the expense of member interests. The forefront of our thinking must be the members. The good folks at H.R. Higgins (Coffee-man) Ltd., London's venera- ble specialty roaster, the fellows at Petra Roasting Co. in Istanbul, Turkey, or the folks at Café del Doge in Venice, Italy are fine roasters all, but with different cultural touchstones than us. It's time to consider the direction we are taking in the name of growth and globalization. U.S. President Lyndon Johnson said, "All politics is local." So is coffee: local family farmers, local family roasters, local family retailers and local family consumers. How local will the next generation of SCAA be to the U.S. trade should it morph into The Specialty Coffee Association of the United Federation of Planets. An international association may still claim American heritage. It may still claim to be the voice of American spe- cialty coffee. But, who will be believed by Americans to be the voice of the American industry? Will it be the international association with headquarters on Oxford Street, Bahnhofstrasse, or the fellows on Broadway in New York? Turn to the per- son next to you right now and ask them, "Who speaks for Americans, the United Globalization Blues: Part 2 guest column: scaa & scae proposed merger In January's Straight from the Cup, Donald Schoenholt lamented the foreign acquisition of of American specialty coffee roasters. Below, he analyzes the proposed merger between the SCAA and SCAE. By Donald N. Schoenholt