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Permalink Reply by Lisa Kettyle on February 3, 2010 at 12:15pm

BGA!

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Permalink Reply by Fraser Jamieson on February 3, 2010 at 2:34pm

Well, the BGA is supposed to be great, but personally, it didn't work out for me.
After a couple of weeks I wasn't able to access their web site and no one ever returned any of my emails during the time that my membership was valid. Later, someone contacted me saying that someone else would set it straight...they never did.
Whatever, they may have been having admin troubles at the time.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on February 3, 2010 at 3:12pm

My understanding is that SCAA membership is for shops, roasteries, and other industry professionals. BGA is for baristas. Roasters Guild is for roasters. Memberships are priced accordingly.

There's a reasonably good discussion on the merits and drawbacks of BGA membership here:
http://www.baristaexchange.com/group/baristaguildofamerica/forum/to...
It features contributions from some pretty noteworthy BGA members on the matter. It is a good read if you are contemplating.

I personally have benefited quite a bit from my BGA membership. FWIW.

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Permalink Reply by Simon Ouderkirk on February 3, 2010 at 4:32pm

MM

Joining the BGA is on my February to-do list. The final step in the bean-to-cup process is entirely dependent upon the skilled hands of our baristi, and any organization that aims to improve their community (my community, our community!) is absolutely one that deserves my support.

I'm also thinking in the near future of pursuing their proctor certification - we here in the chilly Northeast are lacking in the Certified Baristi category, and I suspect it's not for lack of interest!

SO

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Permalink Reply by Jay Caragay on February 4, 2010 at 6:27am

I have been an on-again, off-again member of the SCAA for many years now, served on a couple of committees, as well as having served on the BGA Task Force (the group that started up the BGA) and the first elected BGA Executive Council.

That being said, I'm not a fan boy.

Membership in either the BGA or SCAA has its benefits in terms of discounts on certain items and events. It also (theoretically) gives you the opportunity to connect and meet with other industry people. And while there is much truth to that, the reality is that if you want to get out there and meet industry people, it still is up to you to get out there and meet them. The SCAA does not offer some magic that connects you. It's still a game of whether or not you're the kind of person that people get along with and want to interact.

If you're really interested in the industry and getting to know people, the key is not membership - the key is to get involved. Join a committee that sounds interesting to you. Volunteer your time and effort. Just bear in mind that the SCAA is absolutely terrible at recognizing your volunteerism and does nothing to ease your burden. Meaning that the cost of volunteerism is completely on your shoulders - and expect to be constantly and consistently met with resistance to new, progressive ideas.

Several years ago, the SCAA faced massive financial problems due to embezzlement and cronyism. And while the guard has changed, the mentality of the organization has not changed. It's still much of the same cronyism that existed under the old guard - the difference is that those who were elected for change just kinda did the same thing under a new banner. A new board member caught up in financial scandal? Ignore it and pretend you can't do anything about it - at the demise of the members confidence in the organization, it's "okay." Years later, with board members whose public mantra is "transparency", it's still nearly impossible to obtain copies of Board of Directors meeting minutes or find voting data by the board members. So much for "transparency."

The BGA has tremendous potential because of the number of baristas in the nation. It has the potential to grow into a powerful organization - one that could outstrip the SCAA in terms of member size and possibly financial output. However, the BGA is always mired under the thumb of the SCAA, which limits its potential. After my term was over, I decided not to seek re-election because as an Executive Council, we failed to meet most of the goals we had set and offered to our membership. Quite simply: we failed in our mission and our organization and leadership was lousy. Interestingly enough, some of my peers on the Council were elected to the SCAA Board of Directors...

However, I want to stress that I am impressed by the work of the current BGA Executive Council. For the past couple of years, they've been doing some impressive work and I'm excited by their progress. Hopefully, the SCAA will get out of their way and the BGA can grow into the organization it was meant to become.

As you might have gathered, I am no longer a member of either organization today. I find it difficult to be a paying member of an organization whose leadership I no longer believe in. However, a few years ago, I rejoined the SCAA to vote in favor of Ric Rhinehardt when he was running for president, and should another person whom I believe in rise to be nominated to a position, I will spend my hard earned money once again to join the membership and cast my vote in support of that person.

But for now, I cast no votes and save my hard earned money for other worthwhile pursuits.

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