At the first Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) Taiwan Private Collection Auction (PCA), the highest price went to Ting-Yeh Hsu of Zhuo Wu Mountain Coffee Farm.
The coffee lot sold for US$500.50 per pound and was bought by a collective of Taiwanese importers, roasters, and cafés including Simple Kaffa, Kakalove Cafe, Pebble Coffee, HWC, and Urban Coffee Roaster in Hong Kong.
The average price was US $94.50 per pound for the remaining nine coffee lots, spread among 20 companies and several countries including United States, France, Japan, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan.
According to ACE, this represents a strong demand for Taiwan’s specialty coffee.
“I want to thank the organisers for the care they put into this event. This very first international auction for Taiwanese farmers has been both eye-opening and exciting, allowing us the opportunity to bring our coffees to the world,” says first and third place winner Ting-Yeh Hsu.
“I hope this event continues in the future, and I want to thank all the bidders who bid on the coffees. I know Taiwanese coffees can only get better with your continued support.”
ACE says that the island of Taiwan, with its high elevation mountain ranges and diverse microclimates, is one of the only places in the world where one can find complete vertical integration from seed to cup with many roaster-cafés found on coffee farms.
“Taiwan is not just a coffee origin of the highest caliber; it is also the island with the world’s best coffee shops. Being able to secure the winning auction lot from the first ever Taiwan PCA for the sake of coffee consumers who have been supporting the local industry over the years carries momentous importance for us,” says Berg Wu who spoke on behalf of the auction’s top buying group. Berg is the co-founder of Simple Kaffa and was also the 2016 World Barista Champion.
The Taiwan Coffee Laboratory, on behalf of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan R.O.C. (Taiwan) and Taiwan Coffee Association, partnered with ACE to organise the competition and auction.
Each of the nine winning lots scored 86 points or more and represented three varieties and three processes.
“This is the first time my coffee is put on an international auction. It was strange and exciting at the same time, and even more so when I watched the numbers go up during the live online auction,” says Ho-Te Chen of Amber Coffee Estate, which placed second.
“I am very glad Taiwanese coffee received much recognition by coffee professionals around the world, and I hope one day Taiwan will become a world-renowned coffee origin.”
ACE says that this auction honours the hard work of these local Taiwanese coffee farmers, with its partnership with the Taiwan coffee Laboratory supporting ACE’s overall mission to recognise and reward exceptional coffee producers, increasing farmer access to premium markets.
“We purchased this sample set with an open mind but expected it to be more of an exploratory exercise. We were blown away by several of the samples, and quickly decided we wanted to share these coffees with our guests,” says Shaun Puklavetz, Coffee Sourcing and Relationship Manager for Blue Bottle. These lots will be the company’s first time offering Taiwanese coffee to their customers.
“There was a wide range of profiles on the table, which was very nice to see. Overall, our favourite lots displayed a level of complexity that, frankly, I wasn’t expecting. The lot we purchased was very fruit forward and floral but was very refined.”
The coffee is now being shipped to winning bidders which will be roasted and shared with their customers. For more information on the winning bidders and details about auction results, click here.