Q Grader Salary – 2021 Update

What is a typical Q Grader salary?  A Q Grader license (or more accurately, “certificate”) is awarded to those who demonstrate proficiency assessing coffee quality and a baseline coffee industry knowledge. Anyone who passes the program’s exams becomes a Q Grader. For those working in the coffee industry, the most likely Q Graders are coffee buyers, quality control lab technicians, coffee exporters, and roasters. They may also be baristas or someone working in the marketing department. In some countries, the program is promoted as a back-to-work skills program for the unemployed. Municipal authorities in countries like South Korea may pay a portion of the course fee. Even some consumer enthusiasts have become Q Graders without an intent to work in coffee at all.

There is no standard “Q Grader” job role and thus, you can’t track its track its value as specific profession. As a result, any reported range of salary for Q certificate holders is likely to be inaccurate. Also consider the same certificate is issued by CQI worldwide. This greatly distorts the meaning of an annual salary earned by q/c professionals, coffee traders, or roasters without adjusting for the cost of living in each locale. HOWEVER, we can still point to evidence that earning a Q Grader certificate may increase wages.

Evidence of Higher Salaries

In 2014, The Specialty Coffee Association published the first Barista and Roaster Compensation Report.  Among the report’s findings, it proves a strong correlation between certificate status and compensation.  On average, certified roasters earned 6% more than non-certified counterparts and baristas, 19% more.  It seems reasonable to infer a similar benefit to Q Graders — perhaps better.

The Q Grader certificate program is older than programs offered by the Specialty Coffee Association has stronger brand recognition.  That’s particularly noteworthy in coffee producing countries and quickly growing consuming countries of Asia.  It is revered an authoritative standard recognized in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and more recently, China.

The most compelling evidence of salary benefit from a certificate comes from the coffee industry.  Job posting requirements now include “Q Grader certificate” with increasing frequency.  Job listings that do not explicitly mention a Q Grader status may require competencies addressed by the program.  In this situation, a Q Grader applicant may use the certificate as proof of competency.

So when answering the question, “what is a Q Grader salary?” there is no numerical value to report, but there is a simple answer: a Q Grader’s salary is likely higher than other coffee professionals without the certificate.  “How much” will depend on you and where you live and how you use it.

New for 2021: take the online Q Grader practice course here.