How To Be Officially Accredited As A Barista

So you’ve been working at Sal’s Espresso House for ten years, your customers line up around the corner every morning, and your double choc latte is considered an official tourist attraction in your hometown. So how do you now become an officially accredited Barista and confirm your caffeine dominance?

Well, you could just start calling yourself a Barista. After all, it’s not like anyone in line will care if you have a certificate or not that proves it. Heck, the kids at Starbucks call themselves baristas, and they’d be lost without their ‘how to make a mocha’ manual.

But if you want to do it right, you need to talk to the body that handles specialty coffee making around the world. The Specialty Coffee Association of America and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe are the two major coffee making bodies who gauge what is considered quality in the coffee making business and what is considered substandard. They run the annual World Barista Championships and have done since 2000. Membership to the SCAA brings you access to a network of 2500 coffee professional, market research, training and education, cupping workshops, brewing seminars, roaster training, and an annual conference. They also offer a membership directory containing qualified suppliers, vendors and customers, small business start-up resources, affordable health insurance, and member discounts on insurance products, freight services, market research, conferences, training labs, classes, and directory advertising.

But what makes the SCAA really worth joining if you’re a coffee pro is their certification programs that bring real credentials to brewing technicians and baristas.

No matter where you are in the world, the SCAA and its affiliates have a local person who can give you more information.

Qualified Baristas and Endorsed Bodies:

ASIA/PACIFIC REGION

EUROPE/AFRICA

AMERICAS (NTH AND STH)

BRAZIL
Endorsing BodySpecialty Coffee Association of Brazil – www.bsca.com.brCANADA
Endorsing BodyCindy Chang WBC Hemisphere CoordinatorCOSTA RICA
Endorsing BodySpeciality Coffee Association of Costa Rica – mcercone@scacr.comEL SALVADOR
Endorsing BodySCAE National Coordinator – teresab@sv.intercomnet.netMEXICO
Endorsing BodyCOSCAFE – info@cafeetrusca.com.mxGUATEMALA
Endorsing BodyAnacafe – lizr@anacafe.orgPUERTO RICO
Endorsing BodyAsociacion de Baristas de Puerto Rico, Inc. – german@encantospr.comUNITED STATES
Endorsing BodySCAA Specialty Coffee Association of America – www.scaa.org

More Coffee Articles

World Barista Championship

Commodity Coffee vs. Specialty Coffee – What’s the Difference?

Becoming a Coffee House Barista

Coffee Careers – Training to be a Barista

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