New York coffee roaster Coffee Bros, in partnership with the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), is launching a non-fungible token (NFT) project alongside the 2021 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence (CoE) auction.
The project will see 50 to 100 digital artworks, or NFTs, created for each CoE auction. Each digital artwork will feature the designated coffee producer for that auction, their rank number in the auction, the coffee variety, and its cupping score. This is designed to highlight the producer and their coffee.
In addition to owning the NFT, the first 50 buyers will also receive a roasted eight-ounce bag of coffee from that lot.
For the 2021 Ethiopia auction, Asefa Dukamo, who ranked eighth in the 2021 Ethiopian CoE will be featured on the NFTs. There are 50 digital art pieces available to purchase from 5 August.
“We wanted to provide an experience that lasts forever between the consumer of specialty coffee and the farmers that produce it,” says Dan Hunnewell, Owner of Coffee Bros.
“Celebrating the farmer’s success through an NFT highlights their work and builds a bridge that doesn’t exist with consumables. Once the coffee drinking experience is over, there is little to recognise and appreciate those behind that beautiful cup of coffee consumed.”
Twenty per cent of proceeds made from this project will go towards the CoE and World Coffee Research, a research centre focused on the preservation of origin diversity.
“Our mission is to recognise and reward extraordinary coffee farmers. The Coffee Bros NFT project provides an innovative way for the consumer to enjoy that particular coffee forever while also elevating the producers,” says Anna Abatzoglou, Managing Director of Marketing and Membership for ACE and CoE.
“We’re thrilled to work with Coffee Bros, ACE members, and thank them for helping to support farmers and the Cup of Excellence program.”
Guatemala’s NFT will also be released in August, featuring Juan Diego, who ranked second at the 2021 Guatemala CoE with his washed Geisha.
Honduras’ and Costa Rica’s NFTs will be released in September, followed by El Salvador’s NFT in October and Ecuador’s NFT in November. December will see Indonesia, Peru, and Brazil’s NFT auctions. There will only be nine NFTs created during the 2021 season.
Ethiopia’s NFT will be available for sale on 5 August 2021 here.
For more information on the project, visit www.coffeebros.com/nft.