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The weather outside Anthem Coffee Imports HQ in Martin City, Kansas (United States) was similar to a typical day on a Nicaraguan coffee farm: hot, sunny, and humid—perfect conditions to create some of the highest-scoring lots in the prestigious Cup of Excellence (COE) competition. Fitting then that, the occasion was a Midwest-area showcase of the top thirty coffees from the Nicaragua COE for coffee professionals representing multiple states and a variety of operations.
The event kicked off with Brian Phillips, Senior Sales Rep at Antham, sharing how in recent conversations with Erwin J. Mierisch, Executive Director of Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), which administers the COE competitions around the world, the subject had turned to re-introducing the competition coffees to North American buyers. Typically Asian and European markets show more support of ACE both in the form of sending jury members to origins to cup and assess the coffees and also in bidding on and winning the top lots from the events.
Events like this are key to raising awareness and invigorating the market for COE coffees in North America. Over the past few years, appreciation for COE coffees in the region has decreased for a number of reasons, prompting concerns about whether the competition is still relevant or needed. Phillips and the rest of the Anthem team hope to help shift that. He says, “Anthem cares deeply about coffee producers who are the first link in the supply chain. We want farmers not just to be sustainable but profitable! That means paying more than what they have traditionally received. The Cup of Excellence is more than winning an auction as the highest bidder. It is a way to reward producers who work tirelessly to deliver the best coffees.”
The coffees really do represent exceptional quality. ZEM Coffee Founder and Quality Control Director Michael McIntyre attended the event and pointed out several including El Porvenir and El Furiosa as his favorites.
Phillips and the team, who are planning to bid on and import a few lots of the Nicaraguan COE, added, “Our consensus was that Lot # 10 from El Guacalito would be a great contender for bidding. It was a natural processed African variety where the cherry fruit was dried on the seed. Everyone loved its deep red fruits that stayed throughout the cup from hot to cold. The fermentation was also clean and balanced. That particular lot had an exemplary cup structure between body, sweetness, fruit, and acidity.”
The first to develop a global internet auction platform for award-winning coffee in 1999, COE offers total price transparency which helps specialty coffee farmers worldwide increase the overall value of their life’s work. It also gives roasters and importers the opportunity to connect with high-quality farmers from underserved origins.
Ultimately the coffee industry is made up of countless interactions like this one: professionals including cuppers, roasters, baristas, and more gathering together with shiny spoons to assess and discuss interesting coffee. In the Midwest market, thanks to Anthem, COE is receiving new support.