Jumboor
Estate from India takes The Sixth Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award
illycaffè announced the winner of the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award 2021, a
prize given since 2016 to the producer of the best sustainable coffee among 27
of the highest quality coffee producers participating from nine of the most
significant coffee growing countries. This year's winner is Jumboor Estate in
India, represented by B.M. Nachappa, and voted "Best of the Best" by
an independent panel of international culinary and coffee experts.
The
"Coffee Lover's Choice" award, designated by a panel of consumers
through a blind tasting organized in select illy cafes worldwide, was given to
Proyecto Lift Olopita in Guatemala, represented by Alfonso Urbina Perlata.
In
all, there were 27 finalists – three from each of the nine countries – from
Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras,
India, and Nicaragua. The international panel which comprised three-star
Michelin chefs Kyle Connaughton, Viki Geunes and Niko Romito; journalists Josè
Carlos Capel, Clark Parkin and Michela Proietti; and coffee experts Sunalini
Menon, Birhanu Gebis Wuli and Henry Alirio Martínez Salinas voted the
"Best of the Best" award to India's Jumboor Estate, which they
described as an intense coffee that leaves a silky, delicate and soft sensation
on the palate enhanced by notes of chocolate, caramel, citrus fruit, walnuts
and a hint of fruit.
Jamboor
Estate is located in the plateaus of India's northern Coorg district, at an
elevation of 950-1000 meters in an area of rich organic soils. Established in
1870, this 390-hectare estate only cultivates Arabica coffee and produces
"Jumboor Gold," a high-quality Yellow Bourbon Arabica variety. In
order not to interfere with the flow of pure water from the nearby mountains,
which is used during coffee processing, the areas adjacent to watercourses have
been left in their natural state, without any crops being grown there.
"This
is the first time that India won the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award.
This is a country where coffee is grown under the shade of tall trees, usually
together with other crops such as peppercorns, vanilla, cardamom and cinnamon.
I am very happy that the prestigious 'Best of the Best' award was assigned to a
product that is grown in a virtuous manner, demonstrating the potential of this
agricultural model as a way to achieve sustainable quality," said Andrea
Illy, Chairman of illycaffè. He continued, "the recognition of Guatemala,
which with its group of small producers participating in the Lift project won
the consumers' choice award for best coffee, also proves that quality continues
to be an important engine to drive sustainable growth among coffee
communities."
Proyecto
Lift Olopita, which won the "Coffee Lovers' Choice" award, was
created in 2017 in Guatemala with the goal of bringing together small coffee
growers interested in learning about the best farming practices to produce
high-quality coffee. So far, this project has brought together 112 families of
coffee producers who receive constant training and support on the part of the
technical department of Mercon Guatemala, a coffee exporter of which illy is a
partner, to help them become full-fledged managers of their family businesses,
ensuring better prices for their sustainably produced coffee.
The
event, which was held online once again this year, was hosted by Lily Cole, a
model and actress celebrated for her activism on behalf of sustainability.
The
27 finalists are listed below, ranked first to third place within their
respective countries:
Brazil
Fazenda
Agua Viva - José Marques de Araujo
Fazenda
Fonte Alta - Maria Claudia Porto
Fazenda
Sitio Daniella I - Daniella Romano Pelosini
Colombia
Cabildo
Coffee Project, Jambaló - Aracely Vitonco
Women
Coffee Project, Caldono - Griceldina Quinayas
Intergenerational
Coffee Project, Piendamó - Gerardo Arroyo
Costa
Rica
Marespi
S.A. - Johnny Marín Badilla
Coopesabalito
R.L. - Warner Quesada Elizondo
Coope
Atenas R.L. - Juan Carlos Alvarez Ulate
El
Salvador
Finca
Agua Caliente - José Ernesto Borja Papini
Finca
La Providencia - Fernando Alfaro
Finca
La Concordia - Carlos Antonio Borja
Ethiopia
Gera
Estate - Alemayehu Dagne
Asma
International Business Pvt Ltd Co. - Seada Shifa
Bechu
International Trading Pvt Ltd. Co. - Darmyelesh Bechere
Guatemala
Proyecto
Lift Olopita - Alfonso Urbina Peralta
Finca
Joya Grande - Jovita Castillo
Finca
Peña Blanca - Pablo Chuy Flores
Honduras
Finca
El Cedrón - Gerardo López
Cocasancol
- David García
Finca
Los Liquidambar - José Humberto Ardón Pérez
India
Jumboor
Estate - B.M Nachappa
Buskull
Estate - Balaraju
Hallihithloo
Estate - Mahesh Gowda
Nicaragua
Proyecto
Lift - Holman Vicente Rivera Herrera
Finca
Santa Isabel - Osman Gregorio Gutiérrez Moreno
Finca
California - José Neftali Arauz Herrera
Every
year, illycaffè's quality lab selects the best batches of coffee on the basis
of quality and sustainability parameters. The countries that most stood out
during the 2020/2021 harvest were Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, and Nicaragua. The best three producers
for each country were selected to take part as finalists for the Ernesto Illy
International Coffee Award 2021 to compete for first place in their respective
countries and become one of the nine finalists for the international
competition. An independent panel of international experts comprising food
critics, chefs and coffee experts participated in a blind tasting of the
finalists. The coffees were analyzed under several different brewing methods –
espresso, moka, drip coffee and filter coffee – and the winner was selected on
the basis of the richness and complexity of the aroma, the elegance and balance
of flavors and the intensity of the aroma.