Blue Bottle Rejoins the SCA

As always: "Everyone is welcome. We welcome everyone."

Late last year, following the Specialty Coffee Association’s decision to hold coffee competitions in Dubai—despite the United Arab Emirates’ well-documented history of human rights abuses—Blue Bottle Coffee made the difficult choice to withdraw from the organization. Our commitment to hospitality and inclusivity made it impossible for us to support a decision that didn’t in turn support everyone we work with and serve. 

As we said in our initial announcement, “Everyone is welcome. We welcome everyone.” This simple aphorism has been the core of who we are as a company and a community since day one. 

Two days ago, the news broke that the SCA reached an agreement with the Dubai World Trade Center to move the 2018 World Brewers Cup, World Cup Tasters Championship and World Coffee Roasting Championship events from Dubai. Later that same day, Sprudge reported that SCA Director of Communications Vicente Partida confirmed that the grassroots community reaction to the Dubai decision (as well as to the SCA’s initial deferred candidacy announcement) played a significant role in the move.

In light of the SCA’s good-faith efforts in investing in the safety and equality of all, Blue Bottle Coffee is pleased to announce that we will be rejoining the SCA. We’re so proud of our community and its commitment to the values we hold dear, and will continue striving to reflect them in everything we do.