illycaffè institutes cash award for plantation A coffee growers

Our Corporate Bureau
28 January 2003

Chennai: illycaffè, the world’s leading processor and marketer of Espresso coffee, has instituted a cash award, 1st India Coffee Quality Prize for Espresso, amounting $10,000.

Growers of Arabica Plantation A coffee beans for the harvest of 2002-03 are eligible to compete for the award modelled on the Brazilian Quality Award. This is one way of illycaffe spotting quality growers as a sourcing point. Every day over 5 million cups of illy’s unique blend of espresso coffee, Arabica, are served around the world.

“The award has been instituted to encourage Indian coffee growers of Quality Arabica Plantation A Coffee to produce high-quality coffee for espresso preparation,” says Andrea Illy, chief executive officer. Based in Trieste, Italy, illycaffè produces and markets a unique blend of espresso coffee, under a single brand. It is available in more than 40,000 restaurants and coffee bars all over the world.

In India, illycaffè has tied-up with Coffeelab to manage the execution of evaluation for the award, as per the guidelines specified by illycaffè.

The 1st India Coffee Quality Prize for Espresso will comprise a citation and a cash award of the equivalent of $10,000 for the first runner-up, with the cash award of the equivalent of $7000 for the second runner-up and $5,000 for the third runner-up. The best coffee in each region of growth in India, if it comes within the final 15 lots, will also be awarded a Certificate of Regional Champion.

Top 15 growers will also be awarded certificates of merit. “An international jury will conduct the final evaluation in Italy, and the awards will be conducted in a transparent and scientific manner, so as to ensure that it is completely free and fair,” says Sunalini Menon, the chief executive of Coffeelab.