"Thanks to Cup Of Excellence we were again able to showcase our heirloom and boutiques varieties which are helping us regain our reputation as a top quality origin"

Ricardo Espitia - Executive Director Salvadoran Coffee Council 2004

"The CoE coffees we purchased in '05 worked out amazingly for the Stumptown. At one time in the year we were offering 6 CoE coffees which was half of our offering sheet at that time. We opened up a public cupping/ tasting room next to one of our espresso bars where we have two cuppings a day. This is usually were we hook, line,and sinker Portlanders with our CoE coffees. Folks here are now asking specifically for Cup of Excellence coffees and want nothing else."

Duane Sorenson - Stumptown Coffee

“After returning from the competition in Santa Cruz I could not believe the results. Now I very convinced of having won and I am extremely happy together with my family.” “Not only am I happy for having won but for also breaking the record for last year’s price. I so motivated to continue working.” “This experience with out doubt will change the quality of life for whole family, for the growers in my area….this is what Cup of Excellence is doing for us!” “I had lots of faith in breaking the record in sales this year.” “I want to tell all growers in Bolivia not to feel let down …we all have the ability to win if we work with love and dedication which is what is important.”

“Many times we protest against the USA and sell a very bad image, but for me it is not this way. Thanks to the support of USAID in promoting us growers involved in the tea and especially the coffee business, the Bolivian coffee is now known worldwide. Five years ago nothing was known about Bolivian coffee but now thanks to this support we have gain the prestige in the marketplace. This is very important for all of us coffee growers.”

“To all buyers who participated today in the auction I want to tell you to put your bet in for Bolivia….we need you…we are a country of humble people who know how to work and have the desire to overcome all the obstacles. You are helping us so much !!”

Juan de Dios Blanco - Farmer - 2005 Bolivia Program Lot# 1

“I feel so proud because I participated and obtained second place….and happy because help has been provided by USAID. I am maybe a little sad though because I wanted the price to keep increasing but this does not keep me from feeling proud of being a Bolivian and showing the world the good quality of our coffee.”

“I want to thank all the buyers for acknowledging the quality of our coffees and for paying a fair price. I am so sure they are well impressed with the quality of our coffee. I want to keep on participating next year….I will improve each one of my coffee milling processes.”

Eusebio Marca - Farmer  - 2005 Bolivia Program Lot# 2

“Well….today was a great day for us….seeing how our coffee was being bid on …this brings so much satisfaction to all of us. This is great support to the small coffee farmer like us. We want to move forward and thank MAPA and ARCo for promoting this competition….many thanks to all. To ACEB for its support….this will motivate others to participate because without doubt the prices are good….this is a great achievement for all of us and we will keep it going.”

Eduardo Tola Condori - Farmer  - 2005 Bolivia Program Lot# 9

“I am happy because of the price my coffee obtained. I want to invest the money in maintaining the quality of my coffee but also to benefit my family….but above all I want to invest in my family’s education so that they can become good professionals. I also want to help other growers participate in the competition with GOOD coffee.”

“ I want to participate again next year and move up in the scores.”

Marcial Quispe - Farmer - 2005 Bolivia Program Lot# 12

“ I feel so nervous but on the other hand so happy because I have made it to the Cup of Excellence.”

“Our lives as growers has changed so much. Before the Cup of Excellence we did not take much interest in our coffee…we just sold it in the domestic market….but now it is a dream to be able to sell it in the export market and we take this seriously so we now take very good care of our coffee.”

“Thank you to all the buyers because thanks to them we are now seen very well in the international marketplace. This competition is very good for us because we can now take great interest in producing an excellent coffee. That is why I also thank the government of Bolivia and USAID for their support. We feel proud and want to keep on moving forward.”

Yolanda Lurdes Condori - Farmer - 2005 Bolivia Program Lot# 10

“I feel so grateful to those who helped this competition take place. To ACEB I am also grateful for their support because it our quality of life has improved.”

“ I am very happy with the price my coffee obtained…a good price. I know this is due to the hard work we have put in, the sacrifices….and this is the result !”

“I want to thank all the buyers for their support….I am going to improve the quality of life for my family, I will improve my coffee fields so that they can produce better coffee.”

“We are anxiously waiting for next year’s competition…..I want to be number one.”

Mario Mamani - Farmer - 2005 Bolivia Program Lot# 4

"This May was a special month in my coffee life. I participated in all three Cup of Excellence Competitions in just one month. It was very intense and also very interesting experience because Honduras held its first Competition, El Salvador held its second and Nicaragua held its third. They are all in different stages. I could see how this program will change and encourage producing countries in each different stages. In El Salvador and Nicaragua, as a whole, quality level was higher than previous years. I could see and taste in cups that producers are more carefully preparing their coffees for this competition. They are more solid and uniformed in balance. We needed to and had to cut out certain numbers of lots as a jury of competition. But it was hard to take off points because they were so good. This program is surely affecting producers' minds and works towards quality. Something real is happening here! And I am sure that this is just a beginning of great breakthrough.

In Honduras I met so many unique flavors I have never expected from there. Who would expect mango, passion fruit and even guava from a cup of coffee! But also there were some lots that went over the top a little bit unfortunately. Yes this was their very first competition and we ,the jury, carefully eliminated these lots. It was a process of finding real gold nuggets or diamonds. Really we were adventurers. And we found real exemplary coffees by the most stringent selection process in the coffee world. These coffees have power to change people's certain ideas on Honduran coffee completely.

I would like to thank everyone who are involved in this mission. I feel lucky that I could experience this on real time."

Kentaro Maruyama - International Juror - Maruyama
Coffee: Japan

"We at CLUSA are so proud of the hard working farmers who have won this prestigious award and know that their lives are full of new possibilities. This kind of international exposure not only helps larger producers, but also greatly benefits small cooperatives and small growers who have excellent quality coffee, but lack the ability to market it to international buyers."

Stanley Kuehn - CLUSA

“Probably we have not done enough from the producers side in thanking everyone involved in Cup of Excellence First and foremost: the ACE staff, the ACE board, the ACE advisory board, and most important the bidders and buyers of these great coffees. I truly believe this is a WIN - WIN situation for producers and buyers, but at the end of the chain- the way I see it- the producers win the most: they not only win a profit, they "win their farm back" (as we saw in Honduras), they win their life back, and they win- by recovering their hopes that they are part of great industry- where there are buyers that care and want to make a change!”

Roberto Bendaña - Specialty Coffee Association of Nicaragua