Build Your Coffee Expertise

ECA Coffee Academy — SCA & CQI Aligned Training Programs

“Where Ethiopia’s coffee heritage meets world-class professional development”

5
Course Tracks
200+
Graduates / Year
45%
Q-Grader Pass Rate
SCA + CQI
Certification Aligned

Section 01 Course Catalog

Professional courses aligned with SCA and CQI standards. Each course is tracked in the OODB as a CourseCategory with structured modules, assessments, and certification pathways.

Q-Grader Certification
Quality Track
The gold standard of coffee quality evaluation. Intensive calibration program covering 22 individual tests including triangulation, organic acid identification, and sample roast identification.
SCA Aligned CQI Certified Advanced
Cupping & Sensory Analysis
Quality Track
Develop your sensory vocabulary and cupping precision. Learn the SCA cupping protocol, calibrate your palate across Ethiopian origins, and understand defect identification.
SCA Aligned Intermediate
Export Fundamentals
Export Track
End-to-end export operations: contracts, Incoterms, shipping, documentation, ECX compliance, and international payment mechanisms. Built for new and aspiring exporters.
ECX Compliant Introductory
EUDR Compliance Training
Export Track
EU Deforestation Regulation essentials: traceability requirements, geolocation data, due diligence statements, and the digital compliance toolkit on the ECA platform.
EU Regulation Intermediate
Coffee Agronomy
Agronomy Track
Soil science, shade management, pest control, and post-harvest processing. In partnership with JARC (Jimma Agricultural Research Center). Field visits to research plots included.
JARC Partnership Intermediate
Barista Skills
Quality Track
SCA Barista Skills pathway: espresso technique, milk science, latte art, workflow optimization, and customer service. Foundation through Professional levels available.
SCA Aligned Introductory

Section 02 Certification Pathway

From enrollment to certificate — a fully automated workflow. BPMN orchestrates the entire process so nothing falls through the cracks.

Step 1
Enroll
Step 2
Complete Theory
Step 3
Practical Sessions
Step 4
Assessment
Step 5
Certificate Issued

BPMN workflow automates the entire process — from enrollment to certificate delivery. Instructors focus on teaching, not administration. Every step is tracked, auditable, and transparent.

Section 03 Q-Grader Spotlight

The most prestigious credential in coffee quality evaluation. ECA Academy’s origin advantage gives participants an edge no other program can match.

The Gold Standard of Coffee Quality

The CQI Q-Grader certification is the only globally recognized credential for evaluating coffee quality. The 6-day intensive program tests participants across 22 individual assessments — from triangulation and olfactory skills to organic acid identification and sample roast evaluation.

The global pass rate hovers around 30%. ECA Academy achieves 45% — because our participants cup Ethiopian coffees in origin, building calibration with the world’s most diverse flavor profiles at the source.

“Your Q-Grader license appears on your exporter showroom — buyers see verified quality expertise.”

6
Days Intensive
22
Individual Tests
30%
Global Pass Rate
45%
ECA Pass Rate
22 Tests in 6 Days
CQI Q-Grader Examination Components
✓ General Knowledge
✓ Sensory Skills
✓ Triangulation (x4)
✓ Organic Acid ID
✓ Olfactory (Le Nez)
✓ Sample Roast ID
✓ Cupping (x4)
✓ Green Grading
✓ Roasted Grading
✓ Paired Comparison
Licensed Q Graders appear on ECA member profiles — visible to all buyers on the platform

Section 04 Coffee Digest

A quarterly publication that turns market intelligence into a buyer acquisition funnel. Subscribe, discover ECA, register, match with an exporter.

ECA Coffee Digest
EUDR Readiness Special
Q1 2027 · Volume 1, Issue 1
Market Intelligence: Q1 Pricing Trends
Market Analysis
Variety Spotlight: 74110 & 74112 Hybrids
Variety Research
JARC Research: Climate Resilience in Harar
Research Summary
EUDR Compliance: What Exporters Need Now
Policy Update
Addis Coffee Cup: January Results & Scores
Event Recap

The Lead Generation Flywheel

The Coffee Digest is not just a publication — it is a buyer acquisition funnel. Every article demonstrates ECA’s data depth and market intelligence, drawing specialty buyers into the platform ecosystem.

Subscribe — Buyer reads a market intelligence article
Discover ECA — Explores the platform, sees verified exporters
Register — Creates buyer profile, sets sourcing preferences
Match with Exporter — AI matchmaking connects buyer to verified origins

Subscription pricing: Free for ECA members. $120/year for non-members — creating a secondary revenue stream while building the buyer pipeline.

Section 05 Instructor Profiles

World-class instructors with deep Ethiopian coffee expertise. Every instructor combines international certification with origin-country knowledge.

Alemayehu Bekele
Head of Quality
15+ years in specialty coffee quality evaluation. Licensed Q-Grader Instructor and SCA Authorized Specialty Trainer. Former head cupper at the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange.
Q-Grader Instructor SCA AST 15+ Years
Dr. Tigist Worku
Lead Agronomist
PhD in Coffee Science from Jimma University. Research partner at JARC with published work on climate-resilient varieties. Leads field components of the Agronomy track.
PhD Coffee Science JARC Partner
Dawit Gebremedhin
Export Trainer
Former ECX senior trader with 20+ years in coffee export operations. Expert in Incoterms, documentation, shipping logistics, and international payment mechanisms.
Former ECX 20+ Years

Section 06 Revenue Model

Course fees generate direct revenue while building the talent pipeline that strengthens the entire Ethiopian coffee ecosystem.

Revenue Stream Unit Price Volume / Year Estimated Annual
Course Fees
6 courses across 3 tracks
ETB 8,000 – 45,000 200 participants ETB 3,000,000
Q-Grader Premium
CQI partnership, international certification
ETB 45,000 30 candidates ETB 1,350,000
Coffee Digest Subscriptions
Quarterly publication for non-members
$120/year 200 subscribers $24,000
Total Estimated Annual Revenue ~$60,000 (ETB 4.35M + $24K)
200
Graduates / Year
30
Q-Graders / Year
6
Courses Offered
~$60K
Annual Revenue

Section 07 OODB Data Model

The full Academy lifecycle modeled in the Object Database. From course design through enrollment, module completion, assessment, and certification.

Academy → Certification Pipeline

CourseCategory
name: String
track: Enum
alignment: String
level: Enum
Course
category_ref: Ref
duration_days: Int
fee: Float
max_participants: Int
Module
course_ref: Ref
title: String
type: Theory|Practical
order: Int
Enrollment
course_ref: Ref
student_ref: Ref<User>
status: Enum
progress: Float
Certificate
enrollment_ref: Ref
issued_date: Date
cert_number: String
valid_until: Date