On 3 June, Colombia held its first Cup of Excellence auction for 2021. Pablo Andrés Guerrero Pérez’s washed Gesha from his “Obraje” farm, in Buesaco, Nariño sold for a record price of $135.10 per pound beating the previous record of $70 per pound, set in 2020.
“We are excited and pleasantly surprised by this price that almost doubled the result of last year. We worked to refine the process of our coffee for the contest, but we never expected to reach such a high price,” says Pablo Andrés Guerrero Pérez on doubling the record from 2020.
Thai company KVN Import Export purchased the washed Geisha lot as well as half of Pablo’s first place lot for $122.10. This first-place lot won the Presential Award with a score of 90.61.
“Last year we opened a (Hario) café and this year we plan to open two bigger cafes of Hario Cafe; so we’ll have this coffee for the grand openings,” says Kittima Paisarncharoen, Production Manager of KVN Import Export.
The average price per pound for the 25 lots sold was $30.79, setting the record for the Colombia Cup of Excellence and the entire Cup of Excellence program. The previous record for average price per pound sold was $28.44 at the 2020 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence auction.
The Colombia Cup of Excellence saw 113 international specialised buyers competing for more than five hours to purchase the lots. The total revenue from all 25 lots was $541,813.24.
With Colombian coffee farmers facing challenges related to COVID-19 and political turmoil over the past year, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence hopes this auction symbolises a rise in demand for high quality coffee which will increase consistent income for these farmers.
The Cup of Excellence in partnership with the Colombian Association for Coffee Excellence (ASECC) will be hosting the 2022 Colombia Cup of Excellence in fall to allow participants who grow their harvest from Spring to Summer to participate.
Upcoming 2021 Auctions include:
Nicaragua
Cup of Excellence: 29 June
National Winner: 28 June to 9 July
Ethiopia
Cup of Excellence: 7 July
National Winner: 28 June to 9 July
Mexico
Cup of Excellence: 15 July
National Winner: 12 to 23 July
Guatemala
Cup of Excellence: 27 July
National Winner: 26 July to 6 August
Costa Rica
Cup of Excellence: 29 July
National Winner: 26 July to 6 August
El Salvador
Cup of Excellence: 10 August
National Winner: 2 to 13 August
Honduras
Cup of Excellence: 19 August
National Winner: 9 to 20 August
For more information on the 2022 Colombia Cup of Excellence please click here.