APRIL 8-9, 2026 - PRECEDING WORLD OF COFFEE SAN DIEGO
HOW WE MEASURE IT, HOW WE TALK ABOUT IT
ROAST COLOUR
At Re:co Spotlight, we’re convening subject matter experts and industry leaders to collaborate on the future of how we use and communicate roast color information to each other and to our customers.
Why Roast Color?
Roast color is one of the most important attributes in a coffee professional’s toolkit. Companies use it as shorthand to set flavor expectations for consumers. Marketers made entire regions famous for roast profiles like “Nordic Light Roasts.”
In practice, measurement methodologies range from scientific analyses with proprietary devices to simple gut-feeling determinations by one’s own eyes. This has led to misalignment on how we designate roast color: what one company calls a light roast might be a medium (or dark) roast to another. Scaled up, this leads to mismatched expectations, uncaptured value, or inefficient business processes across the industry.
During Re:co Spotlight, participants will learn about new research on measurement, then will work together to unpack challenges in describing roast color--all in an effort to make specialty coffee a thriving, equitable, and sustainable endeavor for the entire value chain.
Who is Re:co Spotlight for?
In short, it depends on the topic at hand. This year, you should participate if you are a:
Manufacturer of roast color measurement devices
Academic or researcher studying roast color
Expert communicator on the topic (e.g. WCRC competitors and judges, authors, or content producers)
Working roastery manager, importer, or trader
Coffee subscription company or coffee marketer
Equipment manufacturer that utilizes roast color in product design or marketing
This highly focused gathering will prioritize small group exercises, space is very limited. Participants will be expected to apply their expertise and actively contribute to this collaborative effort. Once notified, participants will have five working days to complete registration, including a nominal fee of $100
What kind of time commitment would participation require?
Before the event, participants will be expected to:
Discuss the topic with members of their community;
Prepare or provide samples of roasted coffee;
Respond to a survey;
Complete approximately an hour of pre-reading.
At and after the meeting, participants will be expected to:
Attend presentations and demonstrations to help establish the complexity of the subject;
Complete categorization exercises;
Participate in small group discussions;
Present an overview of smaller group discussions to the larger group;
Share learnings with other relevant stakeholders to support the development of a common language for roast color information.
About the Application and Selection Process
The selection team will include members of the Re:co Symposium Team and the SCA
Standards Development Panel.
Application process opens
Application process closes
Applicants are anticipated to receive notification of their status in February 2025, depending on the volume of applications.
As participants are expected to contribute to the meeting and discussions, the selection team will be looking at how each applicant’s experience, work, or activities supplement the perspectives of other invitees. While all roles and perspectives will be considered, we would encourage all applicants to consider how the topic of roast color relates to their work and whether their work will be directly impacted by the outcomes of this activity. Those applicants who demonstrate a clear connection between the topic of roast color measurement/designation and their work, experience, or perspective are more likely to be successful.
Fluency in English is not required, but a working command of English will greatly enhance a participant’s experience.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Two World of Coffee Activations—Coffee Business Lounge and Green Coffee Connect—are quickly becoming the home of experiences designed to meet the needs of some of Re:co’s diverse audience. Both will be offered at World of Coffee San Diego (April 2026) and World of Coffee Geneva (June 2026).
We will continue to develop Re:co’s interactive, problem-solving approach to different audiences in 2026 and beyond.