Becoming a Q Grader is perhaps one of the most difficult certifications in all of coffee. It requires rigorous study, 20 different tests—often with multiple retakes—with a pass rate around 25-30%. And it’s prohibitively expensive, sometimes in the thousands of dollars if travel is required to take the exams.
That’s why Good Form Coffee has teamed up with Royal Coffee to offer two scholarships for an upcoming Q course taking place at The Crown in Oakland. And applications for the scholarship are open now.
The six-day course will be led by Trish Rothgeb, the co-founder of Good Form, owner of San Francisco’s Wrecking Ball Coffee, and instructor with the Coffee Quality Institute—the institution that gives the Q. Rothgeb will be joined by Evan Gilman, Royal Coffee’s Creative Director and an assistant instructor with the CQI. The goal of the scholarship is to open up the knowledge resources that come with Q certification to coffee professionals who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them. (The same Q course and exam at Royal Coffee costs $1,995 normally.)
“We are aware that coffee pros who would benefit from taking the Q Grader Course are not always able to afford the cost. Offering a scholarship will help to democratize coffee knowledge and open new opportunities for the recipients,” Rothgeb states in a press release.
The course will take place from July 27th through August 1st and will cover all nine modules required for Q certification. Scholarship applications are open through July 12th and can be submitted here. Recipients will be notified on July 17th. The scholarship will cover the costs of the course but all meals, transportation, lodging, etc. will be the responsibility of the recipient.
For more information about the scholarship and the Q course, visit the scholarship application page and Royal Coffee’s Q course event page.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
