Webinar and Q&A: The Road to a Unified Coffee Roasters Guild
Informational webinar and Q&A, held Friday, August 11, 2017. This webinar is led by the Coffee Roasters Guild (CRG) unification committee, consisting of members of both the Roaster Guild of Europe (RGE) Working Group and the Roasters Guild (RG) Executive Council.
Over the past six months, following the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) unification vote, the leadership of the Roasters Guild (RG) and the Roaster Guild of Europe (RGE) have been paving the way towards the unification of the two organizations to form the Coffee Roasters Guild (CRG)— the trade guild of the SCA for professionals dedicated to the craft of coffee roasting.
Guild members and interested parties are invited to join a webinar and Q&A session on August 11 to learn about the unification process, progress made in the last six months, and to find out how to get involved.
Webinar and Q&A: The Road to a Unified Coffee Roasters Guild
August 11, 2017
8:00am PDT / 4:00pm BST
Watch the recording of the webinar on YouTube
Leading the webinar will be the CRG unification committee, consisting of members of both the Roaster Guild of Europe (RGE) Working Group and the Roasters Guild (RG) Executive Council. The Chairs of both Guilds, Emilio Lopez Diaz (RG) and Sonja Grant (RGE), will join the group to discuss the history of their respective guilds the unification process, and the efforts that have been made towards the goal of unifying these groups.
When SCAE and SCAA members voted to unify and create SCA, many of the most optimistic voices came from the roasting community, including members of RGE and RG. Benefits envisioned include the consistent “one member, one vote” across the guild member communities, a stronger voice for sustainability efforts, more opportunities for cultural exchange and learning, as well as a unified education program.
In January 2017, four individuals from each group of roasters came together to form a Unification Committee. Bylaws and supporting documents have been developed through this collaborative process between these volunteer leaders and SCA staff. During this time, everyone involved has benefitted from both the long history of the RG and the vibrant new energy of the RGE in making the CRG possible.
The RG and RGE leadership have embraced these benefits of unification and are leading the way so that members of this global community can benefit, turning the vision into value for their roasting activities and organizations. While the goal to unify two guilds with different histories, cultures, traditions, and languages is ambitious, there is a spirit of collaboration and inquisitiveness among coffee roasters, which will most certainly lend itself to this very task. The two groups have been working together for over a year now, and are enthusiastic and hopeful about the future.
Are you a member of the RG or the RGE? Take part in this online session to learn more about the road to unification and help shape the future of your guild.
Watch the recording of the webinar above or click here to view it on YouTube.
