Record Prices for Coffees from the Honduras Cup of Excellence

Coffees from this year’s Cup of Excellence in Honduras break COE records, with the winning lot auctioned at $124.50 a pound.

BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Photos courtesy of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence

Last June, farmers from all over Honduras brought some of their best coffees to be evaluated and sold during the Honduras Cup of Excellence, hosted by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence and the Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE). The average price of winning lots was $16.24 per pound, with the winning lot going for $124.50 a pound, breaking the record for the highest-paid price for a winning lot during the COE.

Farmers sorting coffee in Honduras. Lots from this year’s COE in Honduras broke records for the highest-paid lots at auction.

All winning coffees sold for at least $7.99 a pound, and the winning lot broke the record set at last year’s COE in Honduras, displaying the power and quality of coffees from Honduras. “2017 continues to be an important year for Cup of Excellence as it continues to deliver on its core mission of bringing higher prices for farmers,” says Darrin Daniel, executive director of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence. “With Honduras breaking the record, it sends a strong message to the specialty coffee world of its unique place as a top coffee-producing country.”

The record, which was broken by a Parainema variety grown by Oscar Daniel Ramirez Valerio, was set last year at the 2016 Honduras Cup of Excellence.

The winning coffee comes from a 10-hectare farm called Finca El Laurel in the El Paraiso region and was produced Oscar Daniel Ramirez Valerio, who was a first-time contestant in the COE. “This is our first time participating in COE. It has been a really good experience for me and my family,” he shares. “I am very happy and I did not expect getting this price. I am going to invest in my farm and produce more and better coffee,” says Oscar. His coffee was a washed, sun-dried Parainema variety, which is resistant to coffee leaf rust, and scored a 91.81—one of only three coffees to score above a 90. Other varieties that took top honors included a Pacamara, Catuai, Pacas, Bourbon, Lempira, IHCAFE-90, Ruiru 11, and a naturally processed Catuai.

Judges scoring coffees. All coffees are cupped at least five times, with coffees scoring above an 86 making it to auction.

The partnership between COE and IHCAFE has been instrumental in both recognizing the quality of coffees being grown in Honduras and bringing in higher prices for the coffees that farmers produce. “As of 2014, according to a Technoserve report, well over $30 million in added benefits to smallholder farmers have been created due to the partnership with Cup of Excellence and IHCAFE. It is estimated that this amount nearly doubled since the report was issued in January 2015,” a press release states.

The next Cup of Excellence auction will take place on Thursday, July 6, featuring the winning lots from the Mexico COE.