15 coffee farms were recognized to participate in the One of a Kind auction

Guatemala — Unlike the Cup of Excellence, which is focused on highlighting the so-called “exotic” coffee varieties (due to their uniqueness), The One of a Kind auction seeks to reward the traditional varieties of Guatemala and their innovation in the production process.

In both, the purpose is to provide coffee growers with a platform to sell their coffee at excellent prices and present it to the international market.

The National Coffee Association (Anacafé) worked with the Alliance for Coffee Excellence through its PCA (Private Collection Auction) program with the aim of expanding market opportunities for the winning coffees.

The electronic auction One of a Kind Guatemala 2022 will be held on Thursday, July 28 and will have an opening price of $5.00 per pound.

new participants

The president of Anacafé, Juan Luis Barrios, commented that in Anacafé they implemented the One of a Kind auction seeking to motivate coffee producers to implement innovative processes such as anaerobic fermentation, double washing, use of yeast, among others.

“The objective is to promote traditional varieties with clients from all over the world who have the necessary purchasing power to offer better prices for coffees with unique cup profiles,” said Barrios.

The president of Anacafé added that this auction has made it possible to discover the exceptional coffees that are produced in productive units, cooperatives and smaller-scale producers who had not previously participated in such competitions.

Unique features

Guatemala is recognized as a country of origin of high quality, A high percentage of these coffees are traditional varieties such as Bourbon, Caturra, Catuaí, among others.

The dedication and experience of the producers who cultivate these shade-grown coffees, the manual cutting of each fruit at the exact point of ripeness, microclimates, types of soil, altitudes in mountainous and volcanic areas combine to produce one of the best coffees.

Responding to these international market trends and with the aim of promoting the work of producers to continue harvesting quality coffee and To position Guatemala as an innovative country of origin, Anacafé invited the production units to participate in the second edition of the “One of a Kind Guatemala” Coffee Auction.

As an innovation process, any practice carried out after the harvest of the fruit is considered, until concluding with a washed parchment coffee, honey or dry cherry (natural), that is done intentionally in order to develop complex or exotic flavors and aromas in the cup, produced in a biochemically natural way.

It is important to note that processes that artificially add flavors or aromas are not accepted. by the action of some additive (cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, essential oils, etc).

recognized farms

The first place was the Santa Clara Productive Unit of Acatenango, Chimaltenango with 90.95 points; second place went to El Morito, from Mataquescuintla, Jalapa, with 90.11 points; and third place was obtained by La Concepción, from San Martín Jilotepeque, Chimaltenango, with 89.16 points. In the initial phase, a total of 118 samples were received (67 washed process, 13 honeys and 38 natural).

Of these coffees, 23 participate for the first time in an auction and 62 have already participated in similar events without becoming winners.

In the early stages, the 118 samples were rated by a panel of 12 national expert tasters.

This panel selected 39 coffees with the best scores to participate in the International Round, where 13 national and international tasters from the United States, South Korea, Greece, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, the United Arab Emirates and Guatemala, led by Alex Pond (Senior Educator and Project Coordinator of ACE).

The judges evaluated and The 15 winning coffees that obtained a score higher than 86 points were selected to participate in the electronic auction.