Accessing Specialty Coffee Markets

The specialty coffee market offers coffee producers opportunities to differentiate their products, reach new buyers and potentially capture greater value. Accessing these opportunities, however, requires a good understanding of the coffee being produced, the markets in which it can compete, and where the product best fits within those markets.

Accessing Specialty Coffee Markets introduces coffee producers, producer organizations and other coffee value chain actors to the fundamentals of specialty coffee markets and provides practical guidance to help them better understand and position their coffee.

The course takes participants through three essential steps: Know your PRODUCT, Know your MARKET and Know your FIT.

Participants will first explore what makes their coffee distinctive and how factors such as quality, origin, processing and other product characteristics influence its value and market potential.

They will then learn about specialty coffee markets, including how these markets operate, what buyers are looking for, and the different market opportunities available to producers.

Finally, participants will bring together their understanding of their product and the market to assess their market fit and identify opportunities that are most relevant to their coffee and their business.

The online course is being developed by ITC in collaboration with ICO and SCA, drawing on ITC’s Coffee Guide and SCA’s Introduction to Specialty Coffee Markets curriculum, originally developed by SCA and subsequently tested and refined through pilots, including in collaboration with ITC.