The Association Scientifique Internationale pour le Café (ASIC) was founded in 1966 following two colloquia on coffee organised in Paris by the Institut Français du Café et du Cacao (IFCC). It was created to fulfil the unanimously expressed desire of the participants at these meetings to dispose of a permanent organisation, which would periodically bring together specialists from all over the world working in the different fields of coffee science and technology, giving them an opportunity of presenting and comparing their investigations.
ASIC came into existence, on the initiative of a few individuals and with the support of the IFCC, in the form of a "non-governmental" association as defined by the French law ("loi 1901 sur les associations françaises et étrangères").
The objectives and mode of operation of ASIC are defined in the following articles of the by-laws:
"To establish an inventory of scientific and applied knowledge and to encourage, carry out and coordinate research likely to contribute to a better use of coffee and its derivatives and to the improvement of coffee quality in the mutual interest of producers, wholesalers, industrialists and consumers." (Art. 1)
"The Association consists of individuals, regular members of benefactors, and legal entities: companies, associations, chambers of commerce, professional unions, foundations, etc. (Art. 3)
"The Association is administered by a Council (ASIC Board) composed of fifteen members elected for two years by the General Assembly and chosen from the different categories of members within this Assembly. The participation of private legal entities must not, however, exceed one quarter (1/4) of the total members. The Council has the power to invite people, chosen for a particular competence, to participate in an advisory capacity." (Art. 5).
In September 2006, the General Assembly approved the change of ASIC's name to "Association for the Science and Information on Coffee - Association pour la Science et l'Information sur le Café".
Since its creation, ASIC has organised a series of international scientific conferences in different coffee producing or consuming countries (see ASIC Mission). The 21st conference was held in September 2006 in Montpellier (France).
Today, ASIC is the only completely independent organisation in the world whose scientific vocation is specifically devoted to the coffee tree, the coffee bean and the coffee drink. It is also the only one which, through its periodical international conferences, offers specialists in different disciplines the possibility of meeting and becoming familiar with each other's work.
