El Salvador Beats the Scoring Record for Cup of Excellence®
El Salvador (May 28, 2024), A record breaking 10 coffees scored over 90 points at the most recent competition for Cup of Excellence. “This is a feat made even more impressive with the challenges that coffee farmers are facing every day. Climate change has made harvesting and planning much more difficult and raised the cost of production.” indicated Erwin Mierisch, Executive Director for Cup of Excellence. “El Salvador may be a small country but the farmers have always been at the forefront of quality and innovation and this showed in the scores.” he continued.
Diego Baraona, a 90+ scoring winner in the experimental category explained, “We are extremely proud of this victory for our farm Los Pirineos! It has been a challenging year for us and good for coffee growing, but this gives us more energy to move forward and overcome all kinds of obstacles. In relation to the contest changes I am very happy with this new type of award ceremony. I think it is excellent to have categories by process since it allows different coffee profiles to be highlighted and rewarded.”
“Coffee is critical in El Salvador for the environmental services it provides, such as the conservation of flora and fauna, microclimate regulation and water conservation. In social terms, coffee provides employment to nearby communities. explained Mauricio Sansivirini, President of the Salvadoran Coffee Institute. “Regarding water in coffee forests, it infiltrates because it is an agroforestry system which has shade or service trees that allow water infiltration into the aquifers.”
During the final phase of the competition process the international jury, made up of 18 judges repeatedly scored a total of 40 coffees in 3 categories resulting in 30 of these winning the prestigious Cup of Excellence award. Along with judging the country’s best coffees, the international jurors were treated to a week of immersion with farm visits and a trip to the Boquerón volcano.
The final awards ceremony was especially joyful for Rafael Silva, “Previously we had won awards with family owned farms, but this time it is very different. I managed to obtain 2 Cup of Excellence awards, including a second place in the first year participating with my own farm- something that I did not even dream of in such a short term. It is a privilege and an honor to have received those awards that represent the hard work and effort of all the people who accompany me on the farm and will also benefit.”
Anticipation will now build for the online auction to be held July 18, 2024 when these exceptional coffees will be sold to the highest bidders from around the world. For samples, regional cuppings and auction information log on to www.
About Cup of Excellence and The Alliance For Coffee Excellence
The Cup of Excellence is a 501c3 non- profit organization that owns and manages an annual multi- level competition in coffee producing countries. Since 1999 it has discovered remarkable coffees, unknown micro regions and brought international fame to individual farmers. It has advanced hand-crafted single farm specialty coffees and assured transparency back to the farmers. Its educational programs, focusing on the aspects of top-quality coffees, have been taught world-wide. Over its 25-year history it has held competitions in 16 coffee producing nations.
The Alliance For Coffee Excellence is a non-profit global membership organization dedicated to advancing excellence in coffee through the marketplace. With members and supporters from over 50 countries it is unmatched in its efforts to bring roaster access to top quality winning coffees though its auctions and to ensure farmers receive these premiums. Its largest impact has been a unique design that builds a bridge between high quality buyers and high quality
farmers resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for farmers and greater financial success for roasters whose customers demand the best.
