The SCA releases new report “Equitable Value Distribution Survey Findings”
Image courtesy of T&CTJ
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has announced the release of its latest report, titled “Equitable Value Distribution Survey Findings,” marking a significant milestone in the effort to shape mindsets and business behaviors in order to foster equitable value distribution as a sustainability tool.
In April of 2023, the Specialty Coffee Association launched a survey aimed at actors across the coffee
supply chain to assess and track the impact around how value is created, measured, and distributed in
coffee value chains, toward a broader goal of equitable value distribution (EVD).
This survey served as a baseline against which to measure the effectiveness of future activities undertaken by the association and its stakeholders to ensure the equitable distribution of value across the sector. Inspired by sense-making theory, the survey responses are supplemented with the findings from a focus group in Guatemala as well as additional, external resources to further contextualize the results and form a baseline for future iterations of the survey.
The all new published SCA Report “Equitable Value Distribution Survey Findings” takes a deep dive into the surveys findings, implications, and emerging connections. It also explores how the results of this survey will inform the SCA’s efforts by enabling the association (and anyone working to distribute value more equitably in specialty coffee) to understand how the industry currently views the distribution of value and the change to be made.
Preliminary findings indicate that the majority of respondents believe that value should be distributed
differently than it currently is. Many also believe supply-side actors—especially producers—receive a
proportionally low share of coffee’s total value in comparison to the value they create. Despite
respondents expressing confidence in their awareness of value distribution in specialty coffee, their
perceptions of value received by different actors contrasts with studies on supply chain economics.
This research is made possible by the proud support of long-time SCA partners, Barista Attitude and
Pacific Foods Barista Series™, whose collaboration enables a shared commitment to continue the creation and discovery of equitable value distribution throughout the coffee supply chain.
SCA sustainability director, Andres Montenegro says: “The Equitable Value Distribution (EVD) Survey’s
results and research from other relevant actors in the coffee system highlight the untapped potential both for additional value creation and for consumers to recognize and reward producers for the intangible assets that contribute to the value of the (tangible) coffee product.”
He adds, “We will remain committed to provide a deeper and actionable understanding of value
distribution and measurement, and jointly with the Coffee Science Foundation, we will continue to seek
funding and research partners to design a learning agenda that informs the specialty coffee community
on pathways to better understand and innovate on this area.”
Read the full report at sca.coffee/availableresearch