Legesse Botasa Dikale has won first place in the Ethiopia Cup of Excellence 2022 with his Sidama sun-dried natural coffee, scoring 90.69.
“Words fall short to express how I feel right now, my life begins just now. It feels like my hard work pays off finally,” says Dikale.
This year’s Ethiopia Cup of Excellence was held in conjunction with the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority in partnership with Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) and in collaboration with the Ethiopian Private Coffee Associations.
Five coffees scored above 90 points winning the prestigious Presidential Award. Five varieties of coffee were represented from four regions in the top 40 winners.
“The success of the competition is a result of the hard work and commitment of the steering committee, regional and federal level stakeholders and experts and most importantly the participant producers. I would like to congratulate all the winners who have done an incredible job by entering the best quality coffees that our country has to offer,” says Ato Shafi Omer, Deputy Director General of the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority.
The evaluation process was conducted over a three-stage process by the local and international jury members locally and in eight Global Coffee Centers.
This year’s competition only allowed coffee growers who own less than 20 hectares to participate to ensure the opportunity strictly serve smallholder farmers.
For the past two years, Cup of Excellence offered a great opportunity for coffee growers to bring their best quality coffees forward in the light of the international specialty buyers’ scene that they can be fairly rewarded for their hard work. It also offers an opportunity for the coffee-consuming global community additional access to the best coffees Ethiopia is uniquely positioned to grow due to its diverse ecology and extraordinary range of genetics.
“We look forward to every Ethiopian Cup of Excellence auction, it always seems to be breaking records and setting a new price while identifying new coffee qualities. I wish everyone the best of luck with the auction,” says Darrin Daniel, Executive Director of ACE and Cup of Excellence.
The Ethiopian Cup of Excellence auction is scheduled to be held on 23 August with the National auction from 15 to 26 August.
For more information on the winning coffees and details on the auction, please visit: https://allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/ethiopia-2022/