How To Get Involved in the BGA

How to Get Involved with the BGA.

Whether you’re just starting out as a barista, looking to be connected to the barista community, or just want to learn more about the craft of being a barista, here’s how to get involved:

Get educated!

You can earn a Level One and Level Two certificate in our barista certification program. Our education is being sought by baristas around the world! Every year we teach classes and deliver testing at two BGA camps, the SCAA Exposition, and occasionally international venues. We also deliver tests at every Regional Barista Competition.

You can also be an instructor. First, you’ll want to take SCAA's Instructor Development Program class (IDP). Next, volunteer to station instruct at a SCAA/BGA event. From there, you can become a lead instructor, and even become a subject matter expert who has a role in refining and developing content.

Get an event going!

Host a BGA Member Driven Event (MDE). We can help promote your event and help coordinate a discussion of topic related to specialty coffee.

Get involved!

Run for office. Also, VOTE! Elections are coming up. Those who want to be involved in BGA leadership will have a chance to raise their hand and get elected. They will drive our choices in the next two years, and as a member you have vote.

Get to writing!

Blog for us. Shine light on your part of the barista community. List all the great shops and roasteries in your area, send us the material and we’d love to give them the national spotlight by blogging about them. Or, do you know a fellow barista who's doing great things in the industry? Interview them ala Five Questions and we’ll highlight their commitment on our blog.

Get to an event!

Attend, volunteer, or compete at a Regional Barista Competition. Home to the barista competitions, as well as the brewers cups, the RBC’s become hubs for baristas to network, make friends, and learn more about specialty coffee. Every competition needs people willing to spend a few hours working behind the scenes to help it run smoothly.

Attend a BGA Camp or SCAA show. We have so much happening at these events: education, competition, volunteer opportunities like the BGA Cafe, and ample time to network with some of the brightest minds in the specialty coffee industry.

Get in touch!

Get in touch with the BGA Leadership. Here’s where you can find the emails of everyone sitting on the Executive Council of the BGA. If you have more questions, more ideas about BGA community building, we would love to hear from you. Honestly we would. And we’re willing to listen, or connect you with others we know that share common goals, or point you in the right direction to find what you’re looking for.

You can see we have a lot going on, and new things are happening all the time (did you hear the BGA is serving coffee at TED? That could be you one day!) I truly hope you’ll connect with us.

Not a member? Join our growing community of coffee professionals.