Introducing the NKG PACE Open-Access Series!
We’ve had some busy online classrooms. This year, we’ve saved a seat for you!
As we shared in our March 5 introduction of the newest NKG PACE Partners, this year’s program will include a public component, intended to expand the reach of NKG PACE’s educational offerings. Beginning this July, we’re delighted to introduce the NKG PACE Open-Access Series!
Occurring once a month, the Series will offer an hour of learning — whether a lecture from a team member, a guest speaker from within the global NKG network, or a panel-style conversation including NKG colleagues and other industry experts — to everyone. Not available to join us live? Afterward, we’ll post recordings on the NKG PACE site.
During this year's interview process, so many applicants expressed a desire for free and comprehensive educational materials. With this in mind, we reconsidered how we might open up some of the curriculum to the coffee community, and very we’re excited about this result. We hope these offers, and the access to our guests, will create new professional footholds for underrepresented folks in coffee.
Mark Your Calendar
Soon, we’ll share the first quarter’s offerings. For now, here’s what’s up first:
July 10: The Power of Processing
While the practice of farming includes numerous variables (soil composition, sunshine, precipitation, altitude, pests, humidity and fertilization, to name a few) that impact a coffee's outcome, once the fruit is off the plant, a producer faces a new roster of variables regarding processing decisions. In many instances, processing is the primary way for a producer to manipulate a harvest to create the best possible cup-quality outcome.
We’ll discuss:
• The different processing methods and where and why they’re used;
• How quality is created through processing;
• The risks, costs and needs that dictate processing decisions.
Guests will include:
Gloria Pedroza, Head of Quality at NKG Quality Service in Switzerland; Gloria, who has more than 20 years of experience in Quality Control, has done most recently extensive work in Uganda, helping producers to develop Fine Robusta (that could seamlessly slip onto an Arabica cupping table).
Diego Guardia, Trader & Head of Specialty at exporter Ceca in Costa Rica; as a trader and a third-generation coffee producer, Diego has extensive knowledge of how processing — and especially the spectrum of Honey processes that Costa Rica has helped to popularize globally — is used to develop heightened cup quality and value in a market that excels at consistency in farming and harvesting.
Camila Khalife, a coffee consultant based in Ecuador, is the Impact & Communications Lead with The Chain Collaborative, a non-profit incubator that funds community-driven initiatives in coffee-producing regions.
We hope you’ll join us! Please click here to register.