It’s here! SCAA 2011 and the USBC nationals are happening this week in Houston, Texas. Sprudge.com editorial, creative, audio/visual and legal staffs are all en route to the George R. Brown Convention Center, for a week of fun, sun, and hopefully some ridiculous BBQ.

USBC competition heats up later in the week, but starting tomorrow you can expect wall-to-wall coverage of the SCAA Symposium right here on this very website. Expect frequent updates, videos, and an inside look at what the SCAA Symposium is all about. We’re really and truly excited to bring this coverage to you over the next few days, and especially looking forward to upcoming presentations from Peter Giuliano and James Hoffmann, to name just a few, as well as the Producers Panel featuring Price Peterson, Aida Battle, Arturo Aguirre, and Jose Francisco Pereira.

In the meantime, click below for an easy-to-read Symposium schedule guide, listen to as much music from the South Side 3rd Ward as humanly possible, and get ready for a week in fabulous Houston! [youtube]sAUFwiGgM_c[/youtube]

 

Wednesday

7:30 – 8:25: Breakfast!

8:30 – 9:05: Welcome, Introduction, and Keynote Address

  • Hal Hamilton of Sustainable Food Labs, presenting models for sustainable agriculture and coffeeโ€™s role in the global context.

9:05 – 10:25: The New Context: Climate Change and Coffee Production

  • Climate change and โ€œpeak coffeeโ€: Dr. Peter Baker
  • Climate change, pests, and production: Dr. Juliana Jaramillo
  • Climate change and quality: Dr. Tim Schilling
  • Guided discussion about short and long term supply chain implications.

10:30 – 11:00: Coffee break!

advert but first coffee cookbook now available

 

11:00 – 12:45: New Market Reality

  • Strategies for a volatile market: Oscar Schaps
  • The new floor: Carlos Brando
  • Where the money is going: Juan Luis Barrios
  • What this means for your business: Ric Rhinehart
  • Panel Discussion about strategic implications and potential responses.

12:45 – 2:00: Lunch!

2:00 – 3:25: Testing Assumptions

  • Does quality equal sustainability? Kim Elena Bullock
  • Do we understand quality fully? Drs. Shawn Steiman and Tim Schilling
  • Are baristas winning over customers? James Hoffmann
  • Is the customer experience as we envision? Special Video Segment
  • Moderated group discussion about assumptions vs. realities.

3:30 – 4:00: Coffee Break!

4:00 – 5:20: Scaling Specialty

  • Scaling with soul: Peter Giuliano
  • Technological solutions: Dr. Flavio Borem
  • Producer panel: Price Peterson, Aida Battle, Arturo Aguirre, Jose Francisco Pereira

5:20 – 5:30: Closing Remarks

5:30 – 6:30: Cocktails!

7:00: Dinner!

Thursday
7:30 – 8:25: Breakfast!

8:30 – 8:45: Opening Remarks

8:45 – 9:55: โ€œAfter the Harvestโ€ World Premiere and Discusion

  • Addressing systemic issues in the supply chain: Shauna Alexander Mohr
  • Introduction of documentary: Rick Peyser
  • โ€œAfter the Harvestโ€ World Premiere
  • Commentary: Merling Preza and Michael Sheridan
  • Food security, transparency, and reliable information: Daniele Giovannucci
  • Moderated discussion.

9:55 – 10:15: Coffee Break!

10:15 – 12:45 Solutions and Industry Collaboration

  • Approaching development: Andrew Sargent
  • Simplifying solutions: David Browning
  • Practicalities of competitor collaboration – lessons from apparel: Sarah Lugaric
  • Round Table Discussions
  • Perspective from origin – problems, solutions, and certifications: Luis Fernando Samper
  • Sustainability and certifications in the wine industry: Tony Hansen
  • Measuring impact: Daniele Giovannucci
  • Panel discussion on solutions, collaboration and measurement

12:45 – 1:45: Lunch!

1:45 – 3:55: Small Group Discussions

  • Defining and Measuring Quality
  • Collaborative Research and the GCQRI
  • Elevating the Customer Experience and Creating Value
  • Business Strategies for Managing Market Volatility
  • Certifications, Transparency, and Measuring Impacts
  • Seasonal Hunger and Coffee Industry Response
  • Climate Change and Coffee Industry Response
  • Disseminating Solutions Throughout the Supply Chain

The program is designed so that topics may be added based on group response.

4:00 – 4:15: Video Summary of Results

4:15 – 4:30: Closing Remarks

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