The
Annual Grand Auctions by Cup of Excellence from 12 Coffee Producing Countries
May 23 - 2021 Coffee Geography Magazine
Farmers can’t postpone or cancel their harvest, which is why COE projected the online auctions through the COVID-19 crisis. Chain of events from twelve major coffee producing countries are organized by Cup of Excellence to find, select and auction the highly appraised coffee beans to the world market. Independent farmers are given all the access, knowledge and privilege to participate in the product screening process to win the auctions. Farmers from Colombia, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Indonesia, Peru and Brazil took part in series of COE’s top quality assessment.
USAID Ethiopia Mission Director, Sean Jones has joined the Minister of Agriculture Dr. Oumer Hussien and Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority Director General, Dr. Adugna Debela at this year’s USAID backed Ethiopia Coffee Cub of Excellence competition
The
top selected products are now available for the following chain of auctions for
sale to international buyers. Buyers need to register online at COE’s official
website at www.cupofexcellence.org prior to the auctions dates.
2021 Auction Dates
COLOMBIA
COE Auction: June 3rd
NICARAGUA
COE Auction: June 29th
NW Auction: June 28th – July 9th
ETHIOPIA
COE Auction: July 7th
NW Auction: June 28th – July 9th
MEXICO
COE Auction: July 15th
NW Auction: July 12th – 23rd
GUATEMALA
COE Auction: July 27th
NW Auction: July 26th – August
6th
COSTA RICA
COE Auction: July 29th
NW Auction: July 26th – August
6th
HONDURAS
COE Auction: August 19th
NW Auction: August 9th – 20th
EL SALVADOR
COE Auction: August 10th
NW Auction: August 2nd – 13th
ECUADOR
COE Auction: November 18th
NW Auction: November 15th – 26th
INDONESIA
COE Auction: December 16th
NW Auction: December 6th – 17th
PERU
COE Auction: December 2nd
NW Auction: November 29th –
December 10th
BRAZIL
COE Auction: December 9th
NW Auction: December 6th – 17th
Coffees for COE Ethiopia were evaluated in cupping labs around the world, including at the Ambrocios’ Prisma Coffee Origins in Guatemala.
In
1999 the Cup of Excellence (COE) founders along with the Specialty Coffee
Association of America developed the first global internet auction platform for
award winning coffees. These auctions have allowed exemplary coffee farmers,
whether award winning or not, to realize a greater financial price for their
coffees. Prices from the auctions have been multiple times higher than the
traditional method of selling. The pricing transparency of the auctions has
increased the overall value of top specialty coffees globally- not just for the
COE coffees.
The
global accessibility of the auctions allowed for any size roaster anywhere in
the world to purchase an exemplary award winning coffee either solely or in a
group. These are coffees that may not have otherwise been available or even
known. Before internet auctions most of the top quality coffees were either
blended or sold to the preferred customers of exporters. Transparent auctions
supported those roasters or importers wanting a direct channel to high quality
farmers and have helped multiple companies expand their customer base and
increase the success of their farmer-identified coffees.
In
late 2002 with its mission to reward exemplary coffee farmers and to grow the
Cup of Excellence program, the Alliance For Coffee Excellence, Inc ( ACE) was
created. The founding of ACE relied heavily on donated support from The Brazil
Specialty Coffee Association ( BSCA) with Marcelo Vieira becoming its first
chairman. Susie Spindler organized ACE as a Montana non profit, took on the
responsibility of Executive Director and agreed to manage the fledgling
organization and enlarge its impact. In 2003 ACE worked in conjunction with an
Australian firm and created its own auction platform and its own website in
order to become a membership organization. Several international roasters
provided extra funding in exchange for lifetime memberships. The new website
and auction platform supported a data base that would allow for greater
business and relationship building between the winning farmers, their neighbors
and the marketplace.
ACE’s
headquarters is based in Portland and it shares a fully certified quality lab
with the COE program.