CQI Costa Rica Field Evaluator for Verité Brewing Better Futures (1370)

COFFEE CORPS

Coffee Quality Institute

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS 1370

CQI COSTA RICA FIELD EVALUATOR for VERITÉ BREWING BETTER FUTURES

Post Date: 04/11/2026

Title and Assignment: Costa Rica Field Evaluator for Verité Brewing Better Futures project

Location: remote

Start Date and End Date: TBD

Number of CQI Cupping Corps Volunteer Spots Available: TBD, depending on sample availability

Duration/Level of effort: 10-12 days (estimated)

OPPORTUNITY SUMMARY

CQI has partnered with the independent nonprofit organization Verité to support its farm worker innovation project Brewing Better Futures: Boosting Income and Wellbeing for Coffee Farmers and Workers. The project is designed to evaluate new farm labor innovations in three countries: Brazil, Costa Rica, and Honduras. The innovations will be evaluated for their contributions to farm efficiency and profitability, working conditions, worker motivation and retention, coffee quality, and livelihoods.

CQI is collaborating with Verité and its project partners in each country to evaluate the impact of the project on coffee quality at two points in the supply stream: in the field, volunteer Field Evaluators in each country will assess the quality of freshly harvested fruit under the direction of a Field Evaluator Coordinator (see CQI Coffee Corps Call for Volunteers 1369); and in the lab, members of the CQI Cupping Corps will perform physical analysis of green coffee and sensory evaluation of roasted samples (see CQI Coffee Corps Call for Volunteers 1368). The two sets of quality data will complement one another and provide a more comprehensive assessment of the impact of project interventions on coffee quality than either one might alone.

This call for volunteers described establishes the objectives, key activities, deliverables, deadlines, and all related terms of reference for the Field Evaluation Coordinator for Costa Rica.

FIELD-BASED EVALUATION

The results of the lab-based evaluations of project coffees performed by the CQI Cupping Corps will represent important measures of coffee quality, essential in any comprehensive assessment. They will, however, reflect influences on coffee quality extraneous to the farm labor activities undertaken in the project, including environmental conditions, genetics, agronomic management, processing, storage, transport, roasting, etc. The field-based assessments conducted by Field Evaluators under the guidance of the Field Evaluation Coordinator will complement the results of lab-based testing with assessments of freshly harvested coffee fruit, which represents the most direct output of the farm workers who are the subjects of the pilots.

At each participating farm, Field Evaluators will assess the proportion of coffee cherry delivered within established ripeness targets by members of each cohort using a methodology to be developed by the Field Evaluation Coordinator in consultation with project staff, partners, and CQI staff. Results will be submitted to CQI and the Field Evaluation coordinator on a timely basis for collation and analysis.

KEY ACTIVITIES, DELIVERABLES, and DEADLINES

The Costa Rica CQI Field Evaluator for the Verité Brewing Better Futures project will:

• Support, as appropriate and requested by the CQI Field Evaluation Coordinator, local communications with project staff, farm owners, farm managers, mill operators, exporters, and/or other relevant stakeholders in Costa Rica related to mapping of harvest and post-harvest operations; this activity should produce a clear understanding of ripeness targets at the Costa Rica project farm as well as the cadence and location of fruit deliveries (1-2 days)
• Support CQI Field Evaluation Coordinator in development of a standardized methodology for assessing harvest quality at participating farms across all three countries (2 days);
• Together with CQI Field Evaluation Coordinator, issue recommendations to local stakeholders, based on mapping exercise and methodology, for locations and schedules for field evaluation of fresh fruit deliveries in Costa Rica, as well as a target number of samples to be evaluated, and secure agreement across project sites (1 day);
• Participate in training exercise on final project field evaluation methodology to be applied in Costa Rica and across all three project countries (0.5 days);
• Apply evaluation methodology in situ to fresh fruit deliveries from members of the participant and non-participant cohorts (5 days including travel);
• Collate results and submit to CQI and CQI Field Evaluation Coordinator (0.5 days); and
• Agree to perform the above-mentioned activities on a volunteer basis with no remuneration from CQI, Verité, or any other party.

REMUNERATION and EXPENSES

This is a volunteer assignment with no remuneration.

Volunteers will be reimbursed by the CQI Global Cofee Fund for 100% of allowable out-of-pocket costs related to local transportation, lodging, meals, and incidental expenses.

ELIGIBILITY

This opportunity is open to Spanish-speaking certified CQI PHP Experts, Professionals, and Instructors based in Costa Rica.

NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

The applicant selected for this volunteer role will be expected to sign a standard non-disclosure agreement to protect against unauthorized disclosure of the identities and confidential or proprietary information from project funders and partners.

COMMUNICATIONS

By submitting an application for this volunteer opportunity, you are authorizing CQI and Verité to identify you and your project role in their public communications. Neither CQI nor Verité will attribute any specific evaluation or work product to you publicly without prior disclosure and consent.