Coffee Quality Institute (CQI)

What does the Coffee Quality Institute do?

CQI’s mission connects two things that can otherwise become separated: the quality of a coffee and the circumstances of the people producing it. Its work includes education, technical partnerships and market connections, with an emphasis on giving producers useful knowledge and practical tools. It remains an independent organisation, not another name for the SCA.

For a beginner, the simplest distinction is this: evaluating quality means describing and judging a coffee; developing quality means improving the practices that produce it. CQI historically worked across both areas. Its current direction puts greater emphasis on post-harvest processing, the work carried out after coffee cherries are picked.

That distinction helps explain why CQI matters beyond professional tasting qualifications. Its processing education is relevant to producers and mill operators, but also to buyers and roasters who need to understand how processing decisions affect the coffee they purchase. CQI explicitly identifies these wider audiences in its programme information.

If the various qualifications are unfamiliar, start with our coffee education guide before choosing a specialist route.

CQI’s history: from shared quality language to producer development

CQI’s history is best understood as a gradual development of its producer-support mission, rather than simply the history of an examination.

• 1996: CQI began its work supporting coffee quality and producers.
• 2004: it introduced the Q Coffee System, linking education, evaluation, certification and a shared language of quality.
• 2016: its post-harvest processing programme began.
• 2025: CQI stopped administering Q Grader and refocused on processing education and activities closely connected with producers.
• 1 October 2025: the SCA launched its updated, Coffee Value Assessment-based Q Grader courses.

The shared-language element was fundamental. CQI describes the original Q Coffee System as a connected approach to teaching people, evaluating coffee and communicating quality across the supply chain. Q Grader was a professional qualification within that wider system, not the whole of CQI’s work.

CQI’s development partnerships also extended beyond examination rooms. Its published project history includes production and processing support, cupper training, organisational development and market connections in Myanmar, for example. These are CQI’s own accounts of its activities, rather than independent measurements of their impact.

What changed between CQI and the SCA?

The operational home of Q Grader changed, but CQI did not disappear. From 1 October 2025, the SCA became the operator of an updated Q Grader programme, and CQI ceased involvement in its operation. The change concerned both programme management and assessment content.

The arrangement was a licensing partnership, not an acquisition of CQI. In reporting based on direct interviews with leaders of both organisations, Daily Coffee News confirmed a 10-year licensing agreement and reported that the SCA was not acquiring CQI’s assets.

The SCA’s current Q Grader programme uses its Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) framework. The programme considers physical characteristics, descriptions of flavour and aroma, judgements of cup quality, and information such as origin characteristics. This is why a historical CQI course description should not be treated as the syllabus for a new candidate.

In practical terms, direct new Q Grader enquiries to the SCA and processing-education enquiries to CQI. Our guide to Q Grader certification explains the qualification pathway.

The partnership also extends beyond Q Grader. The SCA announced a separate agreement to contribute a proportion of its education revenue to CQI’s development work. This supports a distinction between the organisations’ roles, rather than making them one organisation.

Understanding the Q programmes

The letter Q can cause confusion because it appears in the names of different activities. Always ask whether a reference concerns a person evaluating coffee, a coffee being evaluated, or a person learning processing skills.

Historically, CQI’s Q Coffee System included education, evaluation and certification. Its Q Grader qualification concerned professional evaluators, while its processing pathway developed separately. CQI still uses “Q Processing Program” on its post-harvest certification page, although its current education navigation generally uses “Processing”.

The distinction matters when interpreting a biography or course listing. A processing qualification should not be read as evidence that someone holds the current SCA Q Grader licence. Equally, Q Grader training is not a substitute for practical processing education: the published programmes have different purposes and assessments.

For tasting terminology and the practical meaning of cupping, see our cupping and flavour wheel guide. Keep that tasting practice separate from the question of which organisation currently issues a particular credential.

CQI’s current processing programmes

CQI’s current course progression groups processing education into four levels. Do not describe all four as certifications: CQI explicitly identifies Intro to Processing as a non-certificate class, while its assessed courses have their own requirements.

Course names and levels follow CQI’s published progression. Individual availability must be checked separately; its processing page marks Yeast Inoculation in the Field as coming soon.

Generalist: understanding the methods

Processing Generalist covers the main processing methods, how they are carried out and their effects on coffee chemistry and flavour. CQI offers an online version taught live, with the same content, tastings and testing as the in-person course. Its FAQ states that Generalist has no prerequisite.

For a UK-based roaster or buyer, this is the level to investigate when the aim is understanding processing rather than operating a mill. Ask the educator how tastings are arranged, particularly for online study.

Professional: applying processing knowledge

Processing Professional is a six-day field course held in a producing country during harvest. It combines theory, practical activities, teamwork and cupping, with theoretical and practical tests required for certification. CQI requires Generalist first for students who do not work on farm-level processing annually.

This is a practical qualification, not simply a longer classroom introduction. Before enrolling, confirm the coffee species covered, harvest setting, prerequisites and assessment requirements with the organiser.

Expert: advanced practitioner development

CQI describes Processing Expert as a year-long programme beginning with virtual or self-guided study, followed by an intensive harvest-time session at origin. Its FAQ identifies a current Processing Professional certificate as a prerequisite and describes a selective application process. It is not an automatic next booking after Professional.

How CQI works with producers

CQI’s published partnership model combines education with technical services and market access. It works with communities, public authorities and national or international agencies, tailoring activities to local needs. Technical services can include production and processing expertise as well as cupping training.

The mechanism is straightforward: processing education aims to help practitioners understand theory, reduce risks and establish repeatable procedures. CQI presents this as a way to preserve quality and develop differentiated coffees. These are the programme’s stated aims, not a guarantee that every participant or harvest will achieve a particular result.

Connecting producers with buyers is another part of the work. CQI describes activities including buyer visits and introducing coffees at trade shows, alongside its technical assistance. Better processing knowledge and access to interested buyers address different problems, which is why both appear in its approach.

Current activity confirms that this work continued after the Q Grader transition. In July 2026, CQI published an agreement designating the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association as the exclusive distributor of its educational offerings in Brazil, with authorised educators delivering the teaching.

Its 2026 Global Coffee Fund also identifies Project Awards and Matching Grants as routes for supporting coffee education, educator development and partnerships serving producing communities. These are announced programmes, not evidence by themselves of completed outcomes.

Choosing the right route

Use your intended task, rather than the familiarity of a qualification’s name, to guide your next step:

1. To evaluate coffee professionally: consult the SCA’s current Q Grader information.
2. To understand processing methods: investigate CQI’s introductory or Generalist offerings.
3. To apply processing knowledge in production: check the relevant Processing Professional course and its prerequisites.
4. To pursue advanced processing work: ask CQI about Expert eligibility and its application process.

Before committing, request written confirmation of the awarding organisation, exact course title, educator authorisation, assessment requirements and delivery arrangements. That is especially useful when a provider’s website contains older CQI Q Grader material.

The useful question about the Coffee Quality Institute is therefore not just “Does it offer Q training?” It is “Which skill do I need, and which current programme develops or assesses it?”