MILAN — The Specialty Coffee Association announces that testing for qualified equipment for use in the World Coffee Championships (WCC) has commenced, as part of the SCA Certified Commercial Equipment Program. The program reviews commercial coffee brewers, coffee grinders, espresso grinders, and espresso machines to validate that they have been designed and engineered to give baristas quality and precision control, whether they’re on the competition stage or behind the bar serving customers.
Submitted equipment will undergo performance testing using a set of standards and evaluation developed by industry experts, and the program is the prerequisite to qualified category sponsorships for the World Coffee Championships.
The Certified Commercial Equipment Program derives from WCE Qualified Testing — a qualification for equipment used on our competition stages. Since the creation of these standards, which began with the World Barista Championship in 2004, manufacturers have pushed the envelope on equipment functionality and quality as the specialty coffee industry evolves.
Products that meet the criteria are considered “Competition Grade” and eligible to sponsor our 2022-2024 championships. The equipment specifications and test methods are available on the program website. Development of an espresso machine standard to include specifications for “Café Grade” and “Competition Grade” is currently underway.
- Open to manufacturers of commercial coffee brewers, coffee grinders, espresso grinders, and espresso machines that are or will be in production by the end of the 2021 calendar year.
- Demonstrates that your equipment is capable of meeting the rigorous demands of the World Coffee Championships stage, by undergoing testing that has been developed by industry experts.
- Aligns your brand with the Specialty Coffee Association, the industry association
whose purpose is making coffee better. - Certified equipment will be eligible to bid for category sponsorship of the 2022-2024 World Coffee Championships, which provides additional exposure to the hundreds of thousands of people who engage with the events each year.
Interested manufacturers can complete the form on this page to register their interest in the program. Qualified Sponsorship bids are welcome from any espresso machine or grinder manufacturer that passes SCA Certified Commercial Equipment testing.
Additionally, espresso machines that pass the SCA Certified Commercial Equipment testing will have the option to license the SCA Certified Espresso Machine mark.
