Cup of Excellence to celebrate major milestone

The Cup of Excellence (COE) has announced the 20th instalment of its famed Brazilian coffee competition will take place from 15 to 20 October. Known affectionately as ‘The Olympics of Coffee’, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) started the competition in 1999. The COE will head back to the municipality where it all began in Lavras to celebrate the competition’s prestigious milestone. Since it launched, the COE has laid claim to raising more than US$65 million in revenue for underprivileged coffee producers. Last year the event witnessed record numbers when the winning batch of coffee sold for more than US$300 per pound. The COE was designed to give farmers more money and credit for the coffee they produce. As it stands today, 11 coffee-producing nations participate in the competition that aims to celebrate and reward the hard work and achievements of their coffee farmers. The COE announced there will be adjustments to the rules compared to previous competitions, while special tasting and educational events will take place throughout the lead-up to in order to celebrate those people involved in the industry. The ACE says funding has traditionally been one of the biggest challenges to the existence of the COE but its impact has been vast and powerful for South American producers in particular. Hundreds of coffee companies participate in the Cup that hands out one of the biggest prizes in the industry. The ACE says it can also lay claim to offering unprecedented focus on quality, farmer premiums, discovery and transparency, while paving the way for sustainable coffee prices for 20 years. For more information, visit www.allianceforcoffeexcellence.org.