Katherine McCarthy, coffee specialist at UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, is now a Q Grader – one of the industry’s highest accolades – having passed the challenging Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) course this month.
Among the best coffee specialists
The professional qualification positions Katherine among the best coffee specialists in the UK and the world – there are only 4,000 specialists who have passed the qualification globally. To qualify as a Q Grader, specialists undertake a rigorous six day course, which includes three days of exams on over 20 different coffee areas, including sensory triangulation (selecting the odd one out based on coffee origin), coffee cupping (to identify coffee regions and origins) and green grading (ascertaining defects in green beans).
Recognising quality coffee
Elaine Higginson, managing director, UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, comments: “Coffee quality is at the heart of our business and we are committed to continually delivering the best products to our customers. Responsible for ensuring we hit this quality is our coffee specialist team, which Katherine plays a key role in. Katherine’s fantastic achievement reflects both her individual and professional passion for coffee and further cements her coffee credentials. She’s a real asset to our team and her Q Grade status demonstrates just how dedicated our team is to recognising quality coffee in everything we do and developing it further.”
Katherine is the second UCC Coffee UK & Ireland specialist to secure Q Grader status – coffee development manager Gayan Munaweera also holds the accolade. UCC Japan additionally has 30+ Q Graders within the business.
About UCC Coffee
UCC Coffee UK & Ireland’s mission is to create the best possible coffee experience whenever and wherever it’s brewed. Its market-leading total coffee solution aims to help its customers be outstanding in a fiercely competitive market.
It does this by putting the needs of its customers at the heart of its business and by understanding every small but important detail that goes in to brewing a great coffee and delivering an extraordinary coffee experience.
UCC Coffee UK & Ireland is committed to continually redefining its total coffee solution. It prides itself on developing and bringing innovative new products to market, meaning it can work in partnership with its customers to deliver a powerful combination of insight, the finest fresh-roasted beans, roasted here in the UK, and state-of-the-art coffee machines.
Its total coffee solution includes well-known coffee brands including Lyons, THREESIXTY° and Orang Utan Coffee, award-winning own-label coffee concepts and the world’s most innovative machines from Dalla Corte, Nuova Simonelli, Victoria Arduino, Eversys and Thermoplan.
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