CQI's Role in Specialty Coffee Development After the Q Grader Transition

CQI remains relevant to specialty coffee in 2026, but its role is different from the role it held when it operated the Q Grader Program.

On October 1, 2025, operation of the Q Grader Program moved to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). SCA now runs the current Q Grader pathway using Coffee Value Assessment (CVA). CQI no longer operates Q Grader education or new Q sample grading.

CQI's continuing role

CQI continues to focus on producer-facing quality development, including post-harvest processing education and technical capacity building. That work matters because harvest, fermentation, drying, sorting and storage determine the quality potential that later evaluation attempts to document.

Fine Robusta history

CQI's collaboration with the Uganda Coffee Development Authority was historically important to Fine Robusta. It helped establish a Robusta-specific quality language at a time when Canephora was often treated as an undifferentiated commodity category.

That contribution should be described as historical standards development rather than as evidence that CQI still operates the current Q credential.

Quality development versus credentialing

These are different functions.

Quality development asks how producers improve and document coffee. Credentialing asks how professionals are trained and licensed to evaluate it.

In 2026, CQI is more relevant to the first function, while SCA operates the current Q Grader program.

What buyers should take from this

A buyer can value historical CQI Fine Robusta material while still using current SCA/CVA context for professional evaluation. The key is to preserve dates, methods and sample identity.

OCC routing

This is institutional supporting content. Fine Robusta standards, grading and processing retain their formal OCC Owners.