Community Coffee Company Celebrates Six Q Grader Certifications

Baton Rouge, LA—Community Coffee Company is pleased to announce that six team members have earned Arabica Q Grader certification from the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI).

Heather Jones, quality assurance supervisor; George LaTour, engineering manager; Jamey LeBlanc, senior director of green coffee procurement; Curtis Mason, manufacturing supervisor; Frank Mays, senior director of operations, and Denise Witkowski, director of quality and corporate compliance, passed a weeklong intensive examination comprised of 22 different tests to become credentialed by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) to grade and score coffees using universal physical and sensory standards. This new group joins Community Coffee Company’s existing Q Graders, Mark Howell, general manager of green coffee and tea procurement, and Jonathan Powell, general manager of manufacturing.

“There are approximately 400 Q Graders in the United States and to now have a total of eight members of our Community Coffee Company team join those numbers showcases our commitment to quality,” said David Belanger, President and CEO of Community Coffee Company. “We’re thrilled for this group and their dedication to providing exceptional, high-quality coffee.”

The Q Grader certification process tests general coffee knowledge and the ability to accurately and consistently identify quality coffee, which includes appropriately grading green and roasted coffee, evaluating roasted coffee from around the world, recognizing 36 aromas associated with coffee, blind cupping and identification of varying coffees, identifying roast progression characteristics, and discerning salty, sweet and sour at varying intensities and combinations.

This new group of Q Graders will utilize their talents in the quality control process, ensuring that the Arabica coffee Community Coffee Company buys, roasts and distributes tastes its absolute best.