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Cup of Excellence (CoE) is celebrating the 25th edition of the competition in its birthplace, Brazil.
CoE Co-founder Susie Spindler says the competition has played a significant role in shaping the industry over the past 25 years.
“It is with a deep sense of wonder and appreciation that I look back on the amount of trust and faith that has made Cup of Excellence the game changer that it has been,” she says.
“Even today, after 25 years, this program still improves lives, inspires an industry and brings together a global family of coffee lovers. Its next 25 years will not look like its first. The challenges and the opportunities will be different but given that so many thought Cup of Excellence was a pipe dream with no hope of success, I know it will continue to rise to the occasion and improve what is possible in top quality coffee.”
For the international stage of this year’s competition, 40 coffee samples from 10 producing regions have been selected and will be judged by 22 judges from various countries, with a scoring threshold of 87 points or higher.
The champions will have their coffees featured in an online auction, where top buyers from around the globe will compete for the opportunity to acquire these exclusive lots.
“Beyond awarding the best coffees of the harvest, we aim to discover new sensory profiles, emerging coffee regions and new producers,” says Vinicius Estrela, Executive Director of the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA), which organises CoE in Brazil.
“This competition has transformed the perception of specialty coffee and significantly elevated the value of coffee origins. We are thrilled to have contributed to this journey over the past 25 years, enhancing the production of high-quality and sustainable coffee.”
Launched in 1999 in Brazil by BSCA, in partnership with the International Coffee Organization and the Specialty Coffee Association, the CoE project aims to help farmers gain recognition and add value to high-quality coffee.
According to Marcelo Vieira, Producer and one of the Founders of the Cup of Excellence, the initiative began when he and a group of coffee growers recognised the significant impact of quality on coffee value.
“We realised that we needed to take better care of the beans by improving quality. We sought market insights from experts in Europe, the United States and Japan, and then brought in the top tasters,” he says.
“Through this process, we learned that quality is the key, and we should encourage our producers to focus on quality rather than quantity. The competition was a great way to achieve this while satisfying international buyers, allowing Brazil to gain recognition for its superior quality.”
The project is considered a success story, with editions held in several countries worldwide. Sales of winning coffees through online auctions have surpassed traditional selling methods, with the highest bid in the 2023 auction reaching USD$16,900 for each 60 kilogram bag.
This year, CoE is taking place in the Alta Mogiana region of Franca, São Paulo, with the awards ceremony scheduled for 2 November 2024. The online auction featuring the best coffees of the harvest will take place on 10 December 2024.
Read more about the history of Cup of Excellence’s and its 25th anniversary here.
The post Cup of Excellence celebrates 25th anniversary in Brazil appeared first on Global Coffee Report.
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