Certified coffee sells for US$90 in Brazil naturals Cup of Excellence

For the first time, a biodynamic coffee has won the top coveted spot in a Cup of Excellence (COE) competition. Producer Henrique Sloper de Araújo of Fazenda Camocim sold his top-winning COE coffee for US$90.20 per pound (about $119.86) in the final auction of the 2017 season on 7 December. The winning bidders were Japanese companies Maruyama Coffee, Toa Coffee and Sarutahiko. The coffee was both certified organic as well as certified biodynamic under international organisation Demeter. The farm, located in Pedra Azul, Espírito Santo, produces coffee without using chemical and industrial products, such as fungicides and fertilisers. Instead, it adopts methods of biodynamic agriculture which links agricultural production with the natural cycles of the sun, moon, planets and zodiac, said to result in healthier and more resistant plants. “[This is] a very special day for all of us, this result coming to such a different approach in producing coffee will give us the chance to expand the awareness about bio-dynamic farming and hopefully attract more grower to join us,” de Araújo says. This year’s competition also saw the single largest amount of certified coffees, including UTZ, Organic, IBD, Rainforest Alliance, 4C and Demeter. Thirty-two Brazil natural winning coffees were sold to discerning global roasters for an average price of US$11.56 per pound. There were a total of five Presidential winning lots, which are awarded to coffees scoring 90 and above. These lots were divided in half. Nippon Coffee Trading Company from Japan bought Fazenda Camocim’s second lot for US$80.30 per pound. Brazil is the only country holding two two competitions-fully separating the pulped natural coffees and the natural coffees into two distinct auctions. The Naturals program is relatively new but continues to gain in popularity as evidenced by buyers from Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Norway, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Germany, New Zealand, China and the United States. The COE started in Brazil 18 years ago. The now famous competition-auction program enjoys a long-standing partnership with the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA). “It’s a pleasure for us to show to the world the quality of our natural coffees. It’s one more paradigm of the specialty coffee market we could break. Yes, we can say Brazil has excellent coffees, Brazil has fantastic and specialty naturals,” says BSCA’s Executive Director, Vanusia Nogueria. The Alliance for Coffee Excellence is already taking expressions of interest for COE 2018 jury and membership drive. With 12 competitions and auctions, 2018 is poised to be another very exciting year for high quality farmers, international cuppers and premium coffee buyers. “We are delighted with the response from our 2017 program. We have seen some of the most exciting and experimental lots of coffee produced in the world this past year through the competitions. The auction results are testament to how well these coffees have been received from roasters around the world,” says Darrin Daniel, Executive Director of ACE. Alliance for Coffee Excellence is a non-profit global membership organisation dedicated to advancing excellence in coffee. COE, a program which gives out the most prestigious award in coffee, has affected thousands of farmers. Its unmatched focus on quality discovery, farmer premiums and transparency has changed the specialty coffee industry. For more information about membership, juries and to register for the COE or national winning samples and their auctions, visit allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org.