By Dave Merkin

What happens that moment after you realize your coffee brewer is pouring cold water? How about the feeling of turning a steam knob and having nothing come out? Have you ever considered what to do when your grinder stops grinding? If you are lucky, you have a Coffee Technician that you trust. The specialty coffee industry relies on these Technicians for these types of emergencies, and so much more. But, what support structure is there for the Technicians?

This April, in Atlanta at the SCAA Expo, a group of individuals gathered together to make an announcement. A Guild is being formed for the Coffee Technicians, a key element of the specialty coffee industry.

Why do we need a Coffee Technicians Guild? We are just talking about coffee equipment, right?

As of now, there is no standard for what a Coffee Technician is or does. With the help of the SCAA, this is what the Coffee Technicians Guild can do. We need standards, accreditation, training, and communication within the industry. An industry that has been around for well over three decades. This Guild is long over due.

Coffee Technicians are responsible every day for being technically proficient with equipment that is two days old, twenty years old, digital, analog, automatic, manual, etc. We also must be able to pull great shots, brew delicious coffee, and be able to train anyone to do the exact same. As technicians, we are on call 24/7. For technical advice at 11pm, for floods at 4am. We do this because we are passionate about our careers and the specialty coffee industry. We believe in our customers. And we know that—just like coffee—every piece of equipment has a story to tell.

The mission of the Coffee Technicians Guild is to support the specialty coffee industry through the development of professional technicians, and be the voice of technicians within community.