The SCAA and BGA form an ad hoc committee to determine the fate of the regional barista competitions, and the SCAA releases information about the actual costs of producing competitions
In response to public outcry over the cancelation of the regional barista competitions, the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), and the Barista Guild of America’s Executive Council (BGAEC), created the Ad Hoc Regional Committee, which BGAEC chair Lorenzo Perkins tells Barista Magazine “will bring together voices from across the barista community alongside the SCAA to produce solutions that continue to bolster and support the specialty coffee community.”
Lorenzo says the people invited to join the committee “were chosen based on their previous engagement with competitions and innovations they have brought to the competitions.” He says an effort was made to include representatives from every stakeholder group.
Here is the list of people invited (but not confirmed) to serve on the Ad Hoc Regional Barista Competition Committee:
Representing BGA Executive Council: Laila Ghambari, Lorenzo Perkins
Representing SCAA Competitions Committee: Mike Strumpf (chair), Jess Steffy
Representing SCAA Staff: Hugo Neuproler, Lara Gallagher, Ric Rhinehart
Representing Sponsors: Noah Namowicz,* Brant Curtis*
Representing SCAA Board: Heather Perry*
Representing Barista Competitor: Charles Babinski*
Representing Brewers Cup Competitor: Jonathan Bonchak*
*Invited, unconfirmed
Members of the committee will gather in Seattle August 1 and 2 for their inaugural meeting. Here is the proposed agenda:
Day 1
-Review of announcement information
-Review of member feedback
-Review of work done by BGA EC on new regional event structure
-Review of current SCAA budget for events
-Input from each committee member on what their stakeholder group wants from regional events
-Input from each committee member on ideas for new regional event structure
Day 2
-Recap ideas for new regional event structure
-Create a deliverable plan on the new regional event structure
-Create a message to be delivered to members on the new regional event structure
Meanwhile, in light of the SCAA’s assertion that the decision to cancel regionals was made because of financial considerations, the SCAA today released an infographic created to shed light on the exact spending patterns of the events.
Here is the introduction to it by SCAA executive director Ric Rhinehart, and the infographic.
