Following the SCA’s merger, the Barista Guilds of America and Europe are forming one united guild.
BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
On December 17, the Barista Guilds of America and Europe announced they will be merging to create a united Barista Guild, representing both international communities. This news comes as no surprise after last year’s vote to merge the Specialty Coffee Associations of America and Europe to form the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).
According to their new website, “This unification has been in the works since 2017, with a Unification Committee of volunteers working with both guilds to define bylaws, positions, transition documents, etc. The final step, approving the new leadership council, took place in December 2018.”
The Barista Guilds of America and Europe are among many of the professional trade organizations in the coffee industry to announce a merger. The Coffee Technicians Guild and the Coffee Roasters Guild both announced their mergers earlier this year, and both organizations now work to provide programming and support to a growing global community.
In the past, the Barista Guilds of America and Europe were responsible for certification programs and events like Barista Camp, Access, and Bloom. The newly announced Barista Guild website is still in development, and we expect news of programming and events to come in the new year.
For the time being, you can get in touch with members of the newly formed leadership council, listed below:
- Sarah Leslie of Leslie Coffee Co., Past Chair
- Stuart Ritson of Cafe Imports, Chair
- Jessie May Peters of Raw Material, Vice Chair
- Gabe Smentek of Onyx Coffee Lab, Marketing and Communications
- Bartosz Ciepaj of Harrods, Membership Engagement
- Silvia Constantin of Barista School Romania and Coffee Break Magazine, Events
- Davide Cobelli of Coffee Training Academy, Events
- Kathie Hilberg of Stumptown Coffee Roasters L.A., Membership Engagement
- Mark Hundley of Bolt Coffee, Events
- Bailey Arnold of Gregorys Coffee, Community/Outreach
