Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/716988
26 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 4, 2016 (August/September) That letter was not the first signal from Schoenholt of his concerns. His first public note included a copy of a private letter he sent to two other past presidents whose names appear in the pre-vote statement. Most of those who opposed unification seem not to be say- ing, "no, never" but rather "why now? why not wait?" They complained that the SCAA unification website has uniformly presented opinions of those who favor the merger with no dis- senting opinions. They also complained that many members who pay dues to the organization were unable to vote directly on this ques- tion given the current bylaws. Delaying the vote would allow the bylaws to be changed to enable more dues-payers to participate directly in the vote. Ten different past presidents of SCAA published a response to Schoenholt's "past presidents for No" messages urging vot- ing members to vote Yes in a letter which can be seen on Coffee Curmudgeon. In introducing it, Timothy Castle wrote, "I am now moved to say something when, ironically, I feel my voice, un- voiced for so long, was being misappropriated." The rhetoric of point and counterpoint taking place in pub- lic view about this trade association vote echoed that seen in three other recently decided political contests: Brexit and the two US presidential primaries. What effect Brexit? Aside from cries for "one member, one vote," another key con- cern of the No camp has been the effect of the UK leaving the European Union. There was an immediate currency devalua- tion in response to the vote (SCAE's expenses are in pounds sterling) that could adversely impact the finances of a merged organization. In response the SCAA board revised its presentations and public responses in answer to these and other questions. Respond- ing to the "Brexit effect" question, they noted that if anything the currency market dynamics appear to be an overall benefit. Ric Rhinehart, SCAA executive director, in the July 20 webinar said of SCAE's financial position, "The immediate effect of Brexit has been to make the business more profitable. As [SCAE] makes the conversion from euro to pound, they've benefited somewhere on the order of 15%." Most of SCAE's revenues are received in euros. Most ex- penses, such as salaries for the UK-based organization, are in pounds. In the July 20 webinar, Andrew Hetzel, coffee value chain consultant and member of the SCAA board of directors, noted that the "…vast majority of SCAE assets are stored in euros, unaffected by the devaluation of the pound." The vote for the UK to leave the EU coming so close to the opening of the SCAA unification vote did, however, trigger a slight delay in opening the poll. Originally slated to begin on June 30, the SCAA voting period was delayed until July 5. Balloting ended Aug. 5, but not before a last minute round of rhetoric from both sides that played itself out online. Schoenholt again published a message on his company's online platforms. The message was largely the same as before with a visual design that to some looked like it came from SCAA. Whether that was the intent or not, it attracted interaction from both those for and against unification, a rehashing of much of the same rhetoric that began appearing when the No campaign went public. Reflecting on the No campaign and commentary related to it, Anunu said, "There is a deep level of sadness about this." Was the process leading up to the unification vote as trans- parent as it could have been? Were those who had reservations allowed to air those concerns and make their case? With the vote now closed and a decision in hand, it is too late to undo. Anunu said, "I've done as much as I can as a 'junior senator' - that is being in my first term and not yet sitting on any commit- tees. Whatever the outcome of the vote, I look forward to learn- ing from the SCAE board of directors on communication strate- gies within the board room and beyond to our membership." In closing their letter to members, the SCAA board writes that, "We can't tell you how excited we are to share this moment in our association's history with each of you. Thank you for sup- porting this vision of a better future for all people in the specialty coffee industry." SCAA staff and board celebrated merge vote