In 2005, management discovered that former Chief Operating Officer Scott Welker had embezzled more than $465,000. SCAA members contributed a quarter of a million dollars beyond their membership dues to keep the organization running. In 2009, the U.S. Federal Court in Santa Ana, California sentenced Welker to 33 months in federal prison. In 2026, the Specialty Coffee Association faced criticism after the World Coffee Championships changed the nationality designation of Taiwanese competitor Bala, winner of the 2026 World Latte Art Championship, from "
Taiwan" to "
Chinese Taipei" in its official records. The revision was reportedly made without public explanation and was followed by the removal of some historical rankings documents from the championships website. The change drew objections from the Taiwan Coffee Association, which stated that it had spent years attempting to preserve the use of "Taiwan" in international competition records. The SCA later described the change as an "administrative decision" and cited naming practices used by organizations such as the
International Olympic Committee and
FIFA. Media reports and commentators linked the controversy to possible political pressure connected to China's growing influence in the global coffee industry, although no direct evidence of external intervention was publicly released. ==See also==