From my perspective as the Roasting Operations Manager, World Brew's challenge is maintaining consistency in our roasted coffee quality despite variations in bean quality from our sourcing regions in Central America and Africa.

I think we should fix it by implementing a comprehensive Bean Quality Management Program because this approach addresses the root cause of our inconsistency issues while aligning with our commitment to ethical and sustainable practices.

My department's contribution to the solution would be to lead the implementation of this program, focusing on:

Developing customized roast profiles for different bean qualities

Enhancing quality control processes throughout the roasting cycle

Implementing advanced technology for sorting, grading, and roasting beans

I$\text{'}$d work closely with:

The Sourcing team to implement an advanced bean sorting and grading system at origin

The IT department to develop a comprehensive database for bean origin profiling

The Quality Control team to establish new checkpoints throughout the roasting process

For auditing, we would implement a traceability system inspired by Collective Bean's approach, which includes:

Creating detailed profiles for each batch of beans

Conducting regular supplier audits

Utilizing technology to collect and analyze data at each stage of production

Establishing a continuous improvement feedback loop with all stakeholders

This solution addresses the complexities of our global value chain by improving traceability, enhancing supplier relationships, leveraging technology, and promoting sustainability. It will help us maintain our high standards of quality and consistency across our $800$ boutique$-$style coffee shops in Southeast Asia and North America, while reinforcing our 'coffee farmer cooperative to neighbourhood coffee shop' philosophy.

Based on the search results, some key criteria that should be included in a quality assessment protocol for incoming coffee beans are:

Visual inspection of external appearance:

Assess overall appearance and identify any serious defects

Check for foreign matter, broken beans, insect damage, mold, etc.

Aroma evaluation:

Assess the external aroma of the whole beans

Check for any off$-$odors or foreign smells

Physical measurements:

Bean size$/$count $($number of beans per $100$g or $1000$g$)$

Moisture content

Cleaning loss $($amount of foreign matter removed by sieving$)$

Cut test:

Examine internal color and appearance of cut beans

Check for slaty, purple, or defective beans

Assess degree of fermentation

Sensory evaluation:

Roast a sample and evaluate flavor characteristics

Check for off$-$flavors, acidity, bitterness, etc.

Chemical analysis:

pH measurement

Levels of reducing sugars and free amino acids

Color measurement:

Objective color assessment using colorimeter

Correlates with fermentation level and other quality factors

Grading$/$classification:

Assign quality grade based on defect levels and other criteria

Traceability information:

Origin details

Processing method used

Harvest season

Uniformity assessment:

Check consistency of quality within and between batches

Implementing a standardized protocol using these criteria would allow for comprehensive and consistent quality evaluation of incoming coffee bean shipments. The exact specifications and tolerances would need to be defined based on World Brew's quality standards. Please explain and emphasize