About the Coffee Science Foundation
The Coffee Science Foundation (CSF) is the research arm of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). It supports and furthers the SCA's mission by focusing on research.
As a nonprofit, the CSF is dedicated to advancing the understanding of coffee and helping secure its future through research, knowledge building, and outreach.
The CSF brings together researchers, industry, and the broader coffee community to support collaborative, precompetitive, and scientifically rigorous research that addresses shared challenges and creates knowledge that benefits everyone in coffee, including consumers.
The outcomes of CSF-supported research are shared broadly with the global coffee community through scientific publications, industry events, seminars, presentations, and coffee education programs, helping translate research into knowledge and practical impact.
The Coffee Science Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and serves as the research wing of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).
Our Story
Scientific research is essential to advancing our understanding of coffee. Recognizing the longstanding gap in scientific research focused on specialty coffee, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) established the Coffee Science Foundation on 2019, as a charitable nonprofit dedicated to strengthening connections between the specialty coffee industry and the academic research community.
Shortly after its founding, the CSF received its first grant to support a comprehensive scientific investigation of coffee brewing science and the SCA’s filter coffee brewing standards. This research has resulted in an enormous output of academic papers, plus plain-language resources that are openly accessible for the entire coffee industry.
Since then, the CSF has supported many coffee scientists, graduate students, and researchers, helping advance scientific knowledge and making research findings more accessible. As the Coffee Science Foundation looks ahead, we remain committed to supporting research that addresses the evolving needs of the industry and contributes to a stronger future for coffee.
9 COMPLETED PROJECTS
〰️
14 INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
〰️
21 ARTICLES
〰️
55+ RESEARCHERS
〰️
35 ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
〰️
50+ LECTURES
〰️
9 COMPLETED PROJECTS 〰️ 14 INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS 〰️ 21 ARTICLES 〰️ 55+ RESEARCHERS 〰️ 35 ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS 〰️ 50+ LECTURES 〰️
The Coffee Science Foundation aims to advance coffee science that supports the people behind every cup.
It promotes equitable access to coffee science by fostering research and knowledge exchange across the global coffee community.
Our Mission
Our Vision
Our vision is to help build a globally connected coffee community where science and knowledge are accessible to everyone, and collaboration transcends borders. We believe in research that creates meaningful impact across the coffee value chain, advancing innovation and helping secure a stronger, more resilient, and more sustainable future for coffee.
What does this mean?
We turn research findings into clear, practical, and easy-to-understand resources that anyone interested in the topic can use in their daily work. We want to create tools for everyone, tools that help people learn, make better decisions, innovate, and put science into practice across the coffee value chain. We use the Specialty Coffee Association’s broad platform to share this knowledge with coffee communities all around the world.