Ecuador
The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) is launching a Cup of Excellence pilot program in Ecuador next year, the group announced in late October.
The program, arranged in cooperation with the Asociaciòn de Cafès Especiales de Ecuador (ACEDE), begins with an October 2020 effort that will include an international jury, a cupping competition, and a live, open auction.
Once the formal signings are complete and plans are shared with producers, the first event is expected to be held in the city of Guayaquil. A full program with an online auction is anticipated in 2021.
“We are excited to bring the first-ever COE to Ecuador,” said Wilson Gonzalez Ramos, executive director of ACEDE. “We are very happy that we’ve been able to finalize all the details of this project we’ve been working together for two years, especially to include Ecuador into the pilot program. We’re very excited and very keen on putting Ecuador on the world map and bring our best coffees to the most demanding boutiques around the world. We are confident we will ratify Ecuador as an origin of some of the finest coffees in the world.”
ACE Executive Director Darrin Daniel said the addition to the Cup of Excellence program allows his organization to “continue to strive towards expansion in countries where we feel can establish our rigorous standards and global auction reach. Globally, roasters and coffee consumers anticipate and expect us to continue discovering coffee producers in the specialty coffee supply chain.”