The SCA Systems Map, created by the SCA’s Price Crisis Response team, looks at the big picture of the coffee industry. Instead of just focusing on separate parts, it shows how everything in coffee production is connected and constantly changing. It explains how the specialty coffee world is complex, involving many different people and steps. The map shows the main steps in making coffee, like farming and roasting, and the people who do these jobs. It also includes other important people who help coffee get from farms to your cup.

This map helps you understand all the people and steps involved in bringing specialty coffee to life.

The central column of the map depicts the most recognizable activities of a specialty coffee value chain. Each activity corresponds to a primary actor, the (English) names of which often mirror the verb–farming is done by farmers, roasting by roasters–but may also involve other actors. Sometimes the same actor is involved in multiple activities. The outer ring of the map depicts additional actors who facilitate coffee’s journey and the stages of its transformation.