Poul headed to El Salvador to sit on Cup of Excellence jury

Poul flys to the Apaneca-Ilamatepec region of El Salvador tomorrow to judge the very best Salvadorian coffees for the 2009 Cup of Excellence competition. It's quite an honour, considering he was the only Canadian selected to sit on the 22-person international jury that includes judges from the UK, Japan, the United States, Guatemala, Norway, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.

I've become quite impressed with the The Cup of Excellence organization as I've learned more about it. Of course, it is chiefly about evaluating and awarding the top coffees in a particular country. During the week-long competition judges evaluate over 60 different coffees submitted by El Salvador farmers.  Once juried and scored, the coffees are ranked and samples are sent out to buyers throughout the coffee world.  An online auction is scheduled for June 4, where the coffee will be sold to the highest bidders.

That's the coffee business—or coffee geek—side of it. But there's also a great social responsibility spin off as a result of the competition.

Coffee farmers work extremely hard, and in some regions it is the only means of support for entire families.  Farmers that win the Cup of Excellence are acknowledged for their dedication to quality with the prestigious award given at a national ceremony. Plus, and this is the important part, the majority of the price of the coffee sold at auction goes back to the producers who deserve and greatly need it.

The prices at the Cup of Excellence online auction are usually record-breaking and can be 10 to 20 times higher than that of non-auction coffees. A winning farm and often the whole region can expect to receive future visits from roasters looking to buy more quality coffee for their companies. The positive impact on the quality of life for a winning farmer and his family is permanent as the auction money will often be spent on farm improvements or family education which can change their economic livelihood for the long term even if they do not win every year.

Organizations like this are just one of the reasons I'm so excited to be professionally involved in the world of specialty coffee.