The Coffee Quality Organization has announced that Roukiat Delrue will be the organization’s new director of Q and educational program services.
BY CHRIS RYAN
SPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE
With 12 years of experience working with the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI), including as a Q Arabica and Q Robusta Instructor, Roukiat will now direct the Q program. “I’m very honored to have this opportunity,” she says, “and excited to be able to build on the work we’ve done at CQI over many years.”
Roukiat began working with CQI as a volunteer in the Coffee Corps’ program, which connects industry experts to coffee producers and farmer associations to provide technical assistance. She transitioned to consulting projects for the organization, and in 2010 became CQI’s Q Services Manager. She says these years of experience with the organization have prepared her well to take on the director of Q role. “Since 2005-2006 I have been teaching coffee in one area or another,” she says, “and directly doing it gives you a better sense of the requirements or direction needed.”
Roukiat will draw on her expert skills as a cupper, educator, and industry veteran in her new position as she drives the direction of the CQI training program. “I think we are all aiming at better quality and mainly better livelihood of coffee producers,” she says. “Focusing on Q, I am working closely with several very experienced people in the industry to try and determine which changes in the coffee industry we should be addressing in our training program (Q) to always keep the standards high, as this benefits everyone!”
Along with becoming Q director, Roukiat joins the SCA Education Advisory Council, a newly formed entity following the merge of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe. As part of the council, she will help oversee training program support the activities of CQI, SCA, and World Coffee Events (where Roukiat also served as a certified judge and head judge). “I believe the council will be a group of people focusing on all the education aspects as the new unified entity starts to be active,” she says. “The first in-person meetings are planned soon, and I’m sure every member of the group—myself included—is interested in continuing to apply education and training as the means to improving several aspects of the coffee industry.”
To read more about Roukiat, check out this Barista Magazine “10 Minutes With” interview.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Ryan is Content Director at Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers in Portland, Ore. He previously spent four and a half years as Editor of Fresh Cup Magazine.
