By Howard Bryman
The Singapore Coffee Association (SCA) held its first Singapore Specialty Coffee Auction last month, using an innovative online, virtual format for the event organized in partnership with Food & Hotel Asia (FHA).
Organizers were excited to promote the event that took place October 1 via the video communication platform Zoom as a means to continue pursuing and solidifying new connections between producers and buyers in the COVID-19 era, overcoming such challenges as travel restrictions and other pandemic-related logistical complications and obstacles.
“The partnership with SCA has been fruitful and we are pleased to see the community gathering to support the coffee producers,” FHA event director Martyn Cox said in a statement published after the auction. “It is in these challenging times that we see how innovation and technology can help to sustain and spur the industry.”
Forty nine lots of high-quality green coffee grown on farms in a dozen different producing countries were bid upon by 100 buyers spread out over 17 consuming countries around the world. Lots came from major producing countries such as Colombia and Brazil as well as smaller producers such as Zambia and Timor Lest. Though buyers mostly hailed from the US, UAE, Australia, and various countries in Asia.
The highest price paid for coffee through the auction was $64.50 per kilogram for a lot of Gesha-variety coffee entered by MD Estate Coffee of Boquete, Panama. The buyer, Seed & Virtue Pte Ltd owns Bearded Bella, the Singapore coffee shop and roaster.
Singapore Coffee Association executive director Steven Tan told STiR magazine he was very pleased with the level of participation and how smoothly the event unfolded, given the novel approach.
"It was [an] excellent success being the first time that a coffee auction is held virtually via Zoom platform," said Tan. "It could be the first in the world for such a format, perhaps. Certainly there are always areas for improvements."
The event also included a webinar prior to the auction, titled "Effects of Climate Change on Coffee Production in ASEAN." More than 100 attendees logged in from 22 countries around the world for the event that also accrued over 2,400 social media views. Tan suggested the SCA would build upon this turnout with greater marketing and publicity efforts for future events that will hopefully offer a combination of in-person and virtual formats.
"Online and virtual are now seen as a new normal for most," said Tan. "We will explore the possibility of having a hybrid format, harnessing the benefits of face-to-face and online into one. We believe it will make the program stronger and more beneficial for the coffee community."
The next auction will occur sometime in 2021 but a specific date has yet to be determined.