Dear UK Coffee Community,
The SCA UK Coffee Championships, like all coffee-related businesses, organisations and events, face unprecedented challenges in the current pandemic. Based on the strong recommendations of medical experts and scientists, large events like our competitions have been cancelled or put on indefinite hold.Firstly, we want to thank the whole community; including competitors, judges, volunteers, and sponsors, who have contributed their thoughts, ideas and expertise while we took the time to consider all options. We know this is a hard decision for some to hear, and want everyone to know it was one taken very seriously by all involved.
We have partially completed 2020 season of the SCA UK Championships; when we named our champions in the UKBC, UK Brewers Cup, UK Coffee in Good Spirits and UK Cup Tasters championships. The final two championships; UK Latte Art and UK Coffee Roasters, were scheduled to take place in May 2020 onwards at events that were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In considering our options for moving forward - both completing the 2020 season and starting the 2021 season - we took into primary account the health and safety of the coffee workers in our community. Convening competitors and judges for large competitions come with significant risk. We also want to be sensitive to the employment situations and finances of the people we serve.
As the SCA UK Committee, we see these two actions as necessary steps for UK Competitions and our community:
- We are postponing the 2020 UK Latte Art and UK Coffee Roasters championships, until next year, 2021, when we believe that an event can take place safely. Further details; venues, dates, etc. will be announced as soon as possible.
- We have contacted our current 2020 champions (UKBC, UKBrC, UKCTC and UKCiGS) to defer their candidacy from the 2020 World Coffee Championships to 2021 Championships. They have all agreed to this and we fully support their decisions, understanding it is done out of concern for the safety of our competitors, their families, and the international coffee community.
With the above in mind, the SCA UK Chapter and its sponsors will not be running the 2021 season of championships. We will be recommencing the competition cycle for the 2022 championships. These championships will start with heats, etc. in the second half of next year.
A year without SCA UK coffee championships feels like a long time. However, we believe this will give us, our sponsors, and those involved, time to take stock, put on new community events, make changes, and look at things differently following these exceptional circumstances.
The SCA UK will be working with our sponsors to create events, virtual or otherwise, to build up to the 2022 SCA UK Coffee Championships and make our chapter stronger and ready for whatever the future holds.
We will also be looking at how we can make all competitions, and indeed the SCA UK organisation as a whole, more inclusive, diverse, fairer and equitable. To hopefully better represent the community which we exist to serve.
As always we appreciate any feedback from you on any points we have raise today or in general.
Thank you
Rob Ward
SCA UK Chapter National Coordinator