The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) has made the decision to immediately export the 2018 Nicaraguan Cup of Excellence (COE) award winning coffees to California following political instability in Nicaragua.
The emergency call was made after Nicaraguan authorities killed a number of protesting students in Managua, the week after the 2018 Nicaraguan COE took place in Matagalpa on 18 April.
Since then, the situation in Nicaragua has escalated. According to ACE’s press release, issued on 7 June, more than 120 people have been killed and the country is experiencing a national catastrophe.
Food shortages, road blockades and overall political strife have surfaced throughout the entire country. There have been multiple human rights violations and the country has nearly come to a total standstill, according to multiple reports close to the situation.
Due to the declining situation on the ground, ACE in coordination with the Asociación de Cafés Especiales de Nicaragua, Rgc Coffee and Peralta Coffee, made the urgent call to export the COE coffees to the Annex Warehouse in California.
As of 6 June, all of the vacuum-sealed COE lots and the three national winner lots (also vacuum packed) were relocated to the Port city of Corinto.
Since the outbreak of violence, a lot of work has been done to ensure that these micro-lots were securely shipped out on time. Daily Coffee News reported on 23 May that some exporters were having issues getting coffee out of the country. Others reported no issues, but ACE says in the interest of the producers receiving prompt payment for the winning auction lots and buyers to receive prompt delivery of their coffee. “we felt this is the correct decision based on recent circumstances”.
The vessel to ship to coffees to the United States leaves 8 June, arriving into the Port of Oakland on 29 June.
As such, ACE has moved the Nicaraguan COE auction date to 13 June from its original date of 19 June.
ACE asks that all interested parties in these Nicaraguan coffees support the farming community during such turmoil.
For more information, visit allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org.
