The Cup of Excellence (CoE) in collaboration with the Asociacion de Cafes Especiales del Ecuador (ACEDE) has announced that a washed Typica Mejorado from the Arashi farm is the first-place winner from first-ever Ecuador Cup of Excellence.
Produced by Abel Salinas Pacheco, the Typica Mejorado comes from the Loja region and earned a score of 90.39 points.
“Happy, realised, optimistic, a roller-coaster of emotions. It was a path that was not easy or comfortable. But it was a team’s work that made it possible. We have made history in our country,” says Wilson González Ramos, Executive Director of ACEDE.
“Finally, Ecuador will start to position itself as one of the most exclusives and sought-after origins in the world.”
The second-place winning coffee was a natural Sydra from the El Aguacate farm. It was produced by Pablo Andrés Eguiguren Calisto, also from the Loja region and scored 90.21.
The third-place coffee was also a washed Typica Mejorado which scored 90.07 points. This was produced by Curt Jhonn Madisson of the Alaska Del Sur farm in the Loja region.
“The competition was impeccable. Even though it was the first CoE ever in Ecuador, everything was done in a transparent, efficient, formal way that resulted in this event being a complete success,” says Wilson.
The competition saw a total of 23 Cup of Excellence winners and five National Winner coffees which represented five regions across Ecuador. Of these 61 per cent (14) were from the Loja region.
Of the winning coffees, 39 per cent were Typica Mejorado and 30 per cent were of the Sydra variety. Three were Geishas, three were blends and one was a bourbon variety.
More than half (52 per cent) of the winners used a washed process, with six entries being honey processed, three naturally processed and two through a natural anaerobic process.
Three Presidential Awards were given to producers whose coffee scored 90 points or above.
“We are now writing a new chapter for the coffee sector in Ecuador. I am confident international buyers will recognize and make visible the commitment, sacrifice, and hard work of our producers. I have high hopes for the upcoming auction, in which I personally feel, we will continue to make history. There is a new wave coming in Ecuador,” says Wilson.
“A new coffee wave. A revolution of new plantations, new coffee shops, new baristas, cuppers, roasters, new processes, etc. We have proven that Ecuador can and must aim for excellence. This will be the best motivation for new and young generations to find interest and passion for this beautiful world of coffee,”
The 100 producers who entered samples were evaluated by a team of national jurists. Of these, 43 coffees were advanced to the National Stage with 29 of these proceeding to the international stage.
Global Coffee Centers across the world served as the international stage scoring with the 23 coffees scoring 87 points and above to be qualified as Cup of Excellence winners. There were five coffees that scored 85 points and above that qualified for the National Winner auction.
“This represents a sea change in Ecuador, and we are very excited to be working with ACEDE on bringing this inaugural event for the whole of Ecuador’s specialty coffee producers. This momentous occasion marks the expansion of CoE into South America,” says Darrin Daniel, ACE and CoE Executive Director.
The awards were announced at an in-person ceremony in Guayaquil which was streamed on Facebook. Winning farmers are now waiting for the auction, which is scheduled for 29 November. The National Winners auction will take place between 22 November and 3 December.
ACE is now offering sample sets of the winning coffees to purchase before the auctions. Interested parties must join ACE as a member to register for samples and auctions. For more information about the winning coffees and auction details, click here.