Blog

The Cup of Excellence (COE) and Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) Partner with V-Auction as Their Official Auction Platform

A strengthened collaboration to enhance digital coffee auctions and support producers worldwide. Houston, USA, March 26, 2025 – The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) and Cup of Excellence (COE) are […]
That’s a Wrap

The Cup of Excellence (CoE) celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024, recognizing 79 first-time winners, including Miguel Padilla Chinguel from Perú. Membership for 2025 is open with new benefits. […]
Cup The World 2024

Join Cup of Excellence in cooperation with The Specialty Coffee Association as we present the top award-winning coffees of 2024. Cup of Excellence is the world’s premier competition for excellence […]
Taiwan Hosts Its First Cup of Excellence, Showcasing Exceptional Specialty Coffees

Houston, Texas (Sep 10, 2024), With 4 coffees scoring over 90 points at its first Cup of Excellence competition, it is evident that the Taiwanese coffee sector is rapidly advancing […]
Cup of Excellence® Continues its Farmer Support with Record Breaking Auctions

Houston, Texas (August 28, 2024), After a year hiatus, the Ethiopian Cup of Excellence auction set another Cup of Excellence high mark. Angelino’s, a Los Angeles specialty coffee roaster placed […]
Mexico Closes Out Active 2024 Cup of Excellence® program for Central America

Houston, Texas (August 15, 2024), Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Mexico all have one thing in common. They have each successfully completed their 2024 Cup of Excellence […]
Qima Coffee and Alliance for Coffee Excellence announce Best of Yemen PCA 2024: Coffee x Climate

This year’s online auction will raise awareness about Yemen’s unique climate and its intersections with coffee London, 26 July 2024: Qima Coffee and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) […]
Guatemala’s One of A Kind and Cup of Excellence® Team up for Huge Success

Guatemala (June 13, 2024) As winners were announced at the annual Cup of Excellence competition it became apparent that combining One of A Kind and Cup of Excellence judging had […]
Honduras Marks its 20th Cup of Excellence®

Honduras, (June 3,2024) Celebrating the 20th Cup of Excellence competition was a chance to reflect on the amazing strides that Honduras farmers have made in developing their high-quality coffees. Well over 3,000 […]
El Salvador Beats the Scoring Record for Cup of Excellence®

El Salvador (May 28, 2024), A record breaking 10 coffees scored over 90 points at the most recent competition for Cup of Excellence. “This is a feat made even more […]
E-commerce marketplace gives buyers direct access to Ethiopian micro-lots

Through a continued partnership with coffee technology and services company, M-Cultivo and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, roasters will have the opportunity to directly purchase micro-lots evaluated by the Cup […]
Cup of Excellence & Alliance for Coffee Excellence Announce New Auction Platform with M-Cultivo

The nonprofits Cup of Excellence (CoE) and Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) have partnered with technology services company M-Cultivo to launch a new auction platform aimed at improving market access […]
Cup of Excellence & Alliance for Coffee Excellence Team Up With Ecotact

The nonprofits Cup of Excellence (CoE) and Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) have formed an official partnership with India-based Ecotact that will extend to CoE and ACE Private Collection Auction […]
ONE OF A KIND AUCTION EXPANDS MARKET ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES

With the aim of providing market access opportunities to more Guatemalan coffee producers by presenting innovative offers to potential buyers around the world, the National Coffee Association of Guatemala -Anacafé- […]
Interview with Jenny Howell

Can you give us a little bit about your background — where did you grow up, etc? I grew up in the suburbs of Boston. My mom was a midwife […]
Interview with Eleane Mierisch

How did you start working in coffee? My family has been farming coffee for five generations. I spent my early childhood in Nicaragua, and we later moved to Texas where […]
Entrevista con Karely Preza y Gabriela Leiva

Karely Preza (foto derecho) es Nicaragüense y tiene 27 años de edad ella es la responsable de las exportaciones, Gabriela Leiva (foto izquierda) tiene 34 añot de edad y es […]
Interview with Karely Preza & Gabriela Leiva

Karely Preza (seen in right photo) is 27 years old she is the manager of the Logistic, Gabriela Leiva (seen in left photo) is 34 years old and is the […]
EXPORTER SPOTLIGHT – BICAFE
Cup of Excellence & Alliance for Coffee Excellence Team Up With Comandante

The nonprofits Cup of Excellence (CoE) and Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) have formed a partnership with Germany-based Comandante that will extend to CoE competition equipment, farmer rewards, product collaborations, […]
Cup of Excellence and Alliance for Coffee Excellence Announce Organizational Changes

The Cup of Excellence (CoE) and Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) announce updates about their organizational status and respective Board of Directors. The Alliance for Coffee Excellence and Cup of […]
New e-commerce marketplace gives buyers direct access to Brazilian micro lots

A marketplace for coffees vetted by Cup of Excellence National Jurists launches November 3rd Through a new partnership with coffee technology company, M-Cultivo, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) and […]
First Taiwanese Coffee Auction Draws Global Interest

The Taiwanese specialty coffee industry is celebrating the results from the first-ever Taiwan Private Collection Auction. The average price of $94.50/lb for the nine lots spread among 20 companies and […]
Best of Yemen Auction Brings Positive Results to Country

Farmers from the birthplace of the coffee trade reveled in delight with the outcome of the Best of Yemen auction organized by Qima Coffee and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence […]
Alliance for Coffee Excellence Announces First Taiwanese Coffee Auction

Taiwan Coffee Laboratory, on behalf of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan R.O.C. (Taiwan) and Taiwan Coffee Association have teamed up with Alliance for Coffee Excellence to announce 9 winning […]
International Women’s Coffee Alliance Signs MOU with Alliance for Coffee Excellence and Cup of Excellence

Recognizing their mutual interest in the development of programs beneficial to women in all sectors of the coffee industry, the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) has formed a memorandum of […]
Colombian Coffee Farmers Awarded with All Time High Prices

The high quality of Colombian coffee in the international market has been confirmed with the results following the Colombia Cup of Excellence auction. The 25 lots were sold at an […]
Qima Coffee and Alliance for Coffee Excellence Announce Best of Yemen 2021 Auction

(Portland, Oregon- 16th April 2021) – As part of the multi-year partnership between Qima Coffee and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), the two organisations have come together again to […]
Surprising Results in ACE’s Isla Hawaii Auction

Portland, Oregon USA (April 13, 2021) – The Alliance for Coffee Excellence is excited to share results from their first ever Hawaii Private Collection Auction with Isla Custom Coffees. The […]
Los Favoritos Winner Shines Light on Lesser-Known Variety

Portland, Oregon USA (April 16, 2021) – The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) in partnership with Fincas Mierisch, is excited to announce the 15 winning coffees for the recently revived […]
Susie Spindler Joins International Women’s Coffee Alliance Board of Directors

Susie Spindler, Co-Founder of Cup of Excellence®(COE) and former long-time Executive Director of The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) has recently joined the board of directors of the organization dedicated […]
New Partnership With Scientific Traceability Company, Oritain

The Alliance For Coffee Excellence Is Now Able To Trace The Origin Of Coffee Through New Partnership With Scientific Traceability Company, Oritain. Scientific traceability company, Oritain, is now working with […]
Unparalleled Half-Year Cup of Excellence® Results Provide Huge Hope for Farmers

During the recent fearful time for the specialty coffee industry, The Alliance For Coffee Excellence, (ACE) and The Cup of Excellence (COE) program proved that nimble non-profit organizations that do […]
10 Things You Should Know About Cup of Excellence

The founders The first competition in 1999 was called “Best of Brazil”, executed as an experimental program under the “Gourmet Project” started by Susie Spindler, George Howell, the Brazil Specialty […]
Tarrazú region reigns at Costa Rica 2020 Cup of Excellence

Héctor Bonilla of Don Mayo La Loma in the Tarrazú region placed first in the 2020 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) with a honey process Geisha variety that scored […]
22 Coffees Score 87+ in El Salvador Cup of Excellence

Twenty-two lots have won Cup of Excellence awards in the 17th El Salvador Cup of Excellence coffee quality competition. All 22 lots — each scoring 87 points or above, according to the […]
エチオピアカップ・オブ・エクセレンス 134万米ドルの売上

The following press release about the 2020 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence auctions results has been translated into Japanese for our Japanese members and supporters. Follow the link below for a […]
Ethiopia Cup of Excellence auction raises more than US$1million for coffee producers

The 2020 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence (COE) auction broke records, with total sales of US$1,348,690 topping the previous record of $830,245 from El Salvador in 2011. The El Salvador auction […]
Repeat winner takes first place at 2020 Guatemala Cup of Excellence

Cercol’s El Socorro farm has won the 17th Guatemala Cup of Excellence (COE) with a 91.06 scoring washed Geisha coffee. It was the competition’s only coffee to earn a Presidential […]
ニカラグアコーヒーカップ・オブ・エクセレンス審査結果

The following press release about the 2020 Nicaragua Cup of Excellence results has been translated into Japanese for our Japanese members and supporters. COE auction: July 16th National Winner auction: […]
カップ・オブ・エクセレンスが最高品質のエチオピアコーヒーを褒賞する

The following press release about the 2020 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence results has been translated into Japanese for our Japanese members and supporters. It’s also available in Korean and English. […]
COE Themed Virtual Backgrounds

With so many of our meeting going virtual, we’ve provided some COE themed backgrounds for you to use in your video calls!
Three Lots Score 90+ at First Ethiopia Cup of Excellence

Despite economic, social and logistical disruptions aplenty over the past few months, the first ever Ethiopia Cup of Excellence has crowned its first winners. Twenty-eight winning coffees, including the top three that […]
Three coffees awarded 90+ in inaugural Ethiopia Cup of Excellence

Niguse Gemeda Mude has won the inaugural Cup of Excellence (COE) Ethiopia with his Sidama sun-dried natural coffee, which scored 91.04 in the competition. Read the full Global Coffee Report […]
에티오피아 베스트 커피 컵 오브 엑설런스 수상자들

ACE(Alliance for Coffee Excellence)와 에티오피아 커피 앤 티 위원회(the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority) 그리고 USAID (USAID’s Feed the Future Ethiopia Value Chain Activity)는 에티오피아 첫 번째 컵 오브 엑설런스(CoE) […]
Thank you to those who’ve donated

“COE is the best idea ever born. The idea was brought up by people who had long term thinking, and not a short term money interest. Therefore please let me […]
Cup of Excellence Program Update from Erin Wang, Senior Manager of Cup of Excellence

2020 Competition Updates As we continue to navigate our way through this unprecedented time and deal with extraordinary challenges, we remain committed to our farmers and our mission. ACE is […]
How COVID-19 Is Affecting Coffee Importers, In Their Own Words

“No part of the coffee chain has gone untouched by COVID-19. While early reporting—and yes, we are still early in all this—has focused on the dramatic impact on cafes, roasters and baristas, the […]
Ethiopia Cup of Excellence Final Moves from Addis to Portland Amidst Travel Restrictions

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and the organizers of the first ever Ethiopia Cup of Excellence coffee quality competition have announced that the final “international week” will take place in the United States, […]
Looking for Cup of Excellence Roasted Coffee online?

Looking to brew some of the best coffees in the world at home? Here’s an ongoing list of ACE members who sell Cup of Excellence coffee online organized by where […]
Statement from our Executive Director

(March 12th, 2020 Portland, Oregon) – The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), who owns and operates the Cup of Excellence competition and auction in over 10 countries would like to […]
Ethiopia Breaks Cup of Excellence Record for Coffee Submissions

The inaugural Cup of Excellence coffee quality competition and auction program in Ethiopia is off to an auspicious start, with 1,459 coffee samples submitted, breaking the long-running competition’s previous record by more […]
Our Favorite Things To Do In Portland

Alex Pond, Education & Lab Coordinator Johan Vineyards – Johan Vineyards is an 85-acre certified-Biodynamic Estate winery. Drinking wine at the humble Johan tasting room is the perfect wine experience. Chances […]
Still Excellent After All These Years: The Cup of Excellence at 20

Driven by the pursuit of quality, consumer interest in traceability and sustainability, and the proliferation of the internet, the specialty coffee industry has changed a lot over the past 20 […]
Many Varieties Shine at the Third Peru Cup of Excellence in Jaén

The third Cup of Excellence (CoE) competition in Peru resulted in higher-than-ever top scores after 209 samples from 11 coffee-growing regions made their way through the judging process in Jaén. Read the […]
Cup of Excellence is Coming to Ecuador in 2020

For the first time, the Cup of Excellence (CoE) competition and auction is coming to Ecuador, a country widely regarded by coffee buyers as having a wealth of untapped potential in the […]
Ecuador to Pilot Cup of Excellence Program

The Alliance for Coffee Excellence has partnered with Asociación de Cafés Especiales del Ecuador (ACEDE) to launch a 2020 Cup of Excellence (COE) pilot program with Ecuador. ADECE has indicated […]
Cup of Excellence celebrates 20th anniversary

The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) and its flagship program Cup of Excellence (COE) were honored in a celebration recognizing the 20th anniversary of the competition and auction program. The ACE […]
How A Portland Nonprofit Brings Better Coffee To Your Cup

Having coffee is a daily ritual for many around the world. In the U.S., 63% of the adult population drinks coffee every day. And there are a lot of different ways people […]
André Aguila Wins Historic Brazil 20th Anniversary Cup of Excellence Competition

The Cup of Excellence coffee quality competition and auction celebrated its 20th-anniversary last week in Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Returning the event to the city of its birth, the weeklong […]
At the Heart of Coffee

“Before you get to an origin country and see the landscape there with your own eyes, it may be difficult to imagine how much hard work is contained in every […]
Master Q&A with Darrin Daniel

Barista Magazine writer Chris Ryan sat down with our Executive Director, Darrin Daniel, to talk about the role of COE in the global coffee market. Read the full profile here
COE at 20

Barista Magazine profiled the COE program for our 20th anniversary! Read the full article here.
The Path to Distinction: Nurturing Separation in Nariño

Then something truly magical happened. During the 2010 Cup of Excellence competition, held in Nariño, the region produced a perfect coffee. Read the full Daily Coffee News article
Member spotlight: ORIGO ROASTERY

“Through passion and hard work, we aim to build a reputation for excellent product, top-level hospitality and consistent performance. “ Meet Origo of Romania – a roastery that seeks to […]
Member Spotlight: The Coffee Academïcs

Since its inauguration, The Coffee Academïcs has been setting the standards in coffee quality. Taking Hong Kong’s coffee culture to new heights and offering an unique sensory playground for coffee […]
Member Spotlight: Café DuVillage and MOBYS Coffee Shop

Crystal Yun opened Café Du Village in Shanghai 10 years ago. Café Du Village serves it’s customers specialty coffee which they roast themselves and gourmet café food. In 2018, the […]
Natural processed coffee wins Burundi Cup of Excellence for the first time

Gatukuza washing station in Ngozi has won the 2019 Burundi Cup of Excellence (COE), with a score of 90.13 for its natural processed Bourbon. It was the only coffee the […]
Natural Processing Bursts Through at 7th Burundi Cup of Excellence

Among all 23 winning coffees in the 2019 Burundi Cup of Excellence countrywide coffee competition, it was a rare natural-process coffee that took the highest score. In fact, 2019 marked the first […]
Yemeni Coffee Approaches $200/lb at First ACE ‘Private Collection’ Auction

In what amounted to the largest Yemeni specialty coffee auction in history, buyers from all over the world paid more than $163,000 for coffees from 33 different producers, with a robust average […]
ACE Yemen private collection auction raises $163,664 for producers

The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) and Qima Coffee’s Private Collection Auction – held on 23 July – raised a total of US$163,664.19 for Yemeni producers, with an average price […]
Five Microlots Score 90+ at Mexico Cup of Excellence Competition

Five coffee lots scored 90+ at the recent Cup of Excellence (CoE) coffee competition in Mexico, with one natural-process Gesha coffee breaking the all-time Mexico CoE high score with a 93.07. Read […]
Natural Geisha receives highest score in Mexico Cup of Excellence history

Finca Santa Cruz from the Chiapas region has won the 2019 Mexico Cup of Excellence (COE), with a score of 93.04 for its natural Geisha. This marks the highest score […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Coffee Carrot

Located in Hokkaido, Japan, Coffee Carrot, Ltd. is a micro-roaster that sells coffee through its online store and beans and coffee drinks in its café’. A staff of nine full-time […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Coffee Manufactory

With three locations in California, Coffee Manufactory focuses on building sustainable supply chains with their producers at origin. Their staff of 25 works to ensure producers are being paid a […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Bosgaurus Coffee

We want to introduce you to Bosgaurus Coffee – a specialty coffee shop and roastery in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Their mission and vision is “to enrich coffee culture […]
Three Lots Score 90+ at the 16th Guatemala Cup of Excellence

Three green coffee microlots scored 90+ at the 2019 Guatemala Cup of Excellence quality competition, which concluded last week in Guatemala City. All 20 coffees that scored 87+ after rigorous cupping rounds capped […]
40 producers vie for title of Mexico’s best coffee at Cup of Excellence

Looking for an excellent cup of coffee? Wait to see what the judges decide at a coffee competition Friday in Veracruz. A jury of 23 coffee experts from all over […]
Six Lots Score 90+ at Honduras Cup of Excellence

Six different microlots representing three different processing methods and five different coffee types scored higher than 90 points at the recent Cup of Excellence (CoE) green coffee quality competition in Honduras. Read […]
Honduras Cup of Excellence awards six coffee above 90 points

Desarrollos Santa Lucia has won the 2019 Honduras Cup of Excellence (COE) with a 94.84 washed Geisha from the Comayagua region. I want to thank my father Dr Mierisch, and my […]
Tarrazú region dominates 2019 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence

Don Dario of the Tarrazú region has won the 2019 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE), with a score of 91.14 for its anaerobic processed Gesha. Tarrazú farms took out […]
29 Costa Rica Microlots Heading to 2019 Cup of Excellence Auction

It has been nearly a year since a honey-process Gesha coffee from Costa Rica shattered the global record for a single coffee sold through the Cup of Excellence auction platform […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Little Bean

Meet our one of our newest members, Little Bean. They are a string of 6 retail coffee shops in Shanghai, along with a certified roastery in Ningbo and a SCA […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: COMBS COFFEE

Let us introduce you to Combs Coffee from Texas in the USA. Combs Coffee and their 3 employees are the only US coffee company that gets to say they are […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: COFFEA COFFEE

Coffea Coffee was founded in 2006 by the CEO of Gamsung International Co., Ltd. Coffea Coffee’s staff of 40 (and still growing) serve a variety of customers through their 20 […]
Cup of Excellence El Salvador sees 25 coffees head to auction

J. Raul Rivera of Santa Rosa farm has won the 2019 El Salvador Cup of Excellence (COE), with a score of 90.57 for his honey processed Pacamara varietal… Read the […]
Mysterious Bernadina Variety Among 25 El Salvador Cup of Excellence Winners

The 16th El Salvador Cup of Excellence coffee quality competition recently concluded in San Salvador, resulting in a range of coffees heading to auction beginning June 10 for National Winners (scoring 85-86.99 points), and […]
ACE Names Cory Bush Board Chair and Noelia Villalobos Vice Chair

The Portland, Oregon-based Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) has announced the election of Cory Bush as the group’s board chair and Noelia Villalobos as the vice chair. Board members are elected by […]
Alliance for Coffee Excellence appoints new Board Chair

The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) has appointed Cory Bush, the Managing Director of Belgian speciality coffee importer 32Cup, as its new Board Chair. Read the full Global Coffee Report […]
Cup of Excellence Coming to Ethiopia in 2020

Renowned green coffee competition and auction program Cup of Excellence is for the first time coming to coffee’s birthplace: Ethiopia. The Cup of Excellence (CoE) program — which involves rigorous multi-round judging […]
ACE Announces a 2020 Cup of Excellence Ethiopia

Since its launch 20 years ago, the Cup of Excellence competition—which rewards coffee farmers with high prices for their high-quality coffee—has had a substantial impact on coffee growers worldwide, holding 140 auctions […]
Ethiopia to host first Cup of Excellence

The Cup of Excellence (COE) will be held in Ethiopia for the first time in March 2020. The event is made possible through an ongoing partnership between the Alliance for […]
Cup of Excellence Colombia Reports Record Result

Paul Kevin Doyle of Mikava farm placed first in the Cup of Excellence (COE) Colombia North, with a record-breaking high score of 92.71 for a natural processed Gesha from the […]
Quality Plus Variety at the Colombia (North) Cup of Excellence Competition

An impressive total of eight lots scored 91 points or above in the recent Cup of Excellence quality competition in Colombia (North), according to results from the competition’s international jury… Read […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: List + Beisler GmbH

List + Beisler is a group of passionate green coffee merchants who have been focused on sourcing high quality coffees since 1901! Their headquarters are located in Hamburg, Germany with […]
Following Pilot Success, ACE Plans to Bring Cup of Excellence to Indonesia

The Alliance for Coffee Excellence, organizers of the green coffee competition and auction Cup of Excellence program (CoE), have completed a regional pilot program in Indonesia, with plans to expand the CoE nationwide […]
2019 Sumatra Prestige Cup Results

Adhering to ACE’s mission of rewarding exemplary coffee farmers, ACE held a regional pilot in the town of Takengon. In partnership with the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia and […]
Alliance for Coffee Excellence begins COE pilot program in Indonesia

Non-profit organization, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) has commenced a preliminary Cup of Excellence (COE) trial in the town of Takengon in Aceh, Indonesia. Read the full Global Coffee […]
ACE Launching Private Collection Auction Program, Beginning with Yemen

Cup of Excellence coffee competition organizer the Alliance for Coffee Excellence is stepping outside the CoE platform to introduce a more curated green coffee auction program. For the first auction in the ACE […]
EXPLORING CUP OF EXCELLENCE IN EL SALVADOR TOGETHER WITH DARRIN DANIEL & GILBERTO BARAONA

“Here at April we have been following the Cup of Excellence organization and their work at Origin for many years, we have seen how they have produced real value for farmers around the world, […]
El Salvador Farmer Outreach, Feb. 2019

From February 13 to February 16 ,2019, ACE started the farmer outreach program in El Salvador. Together with the in country partner, Consejo Salvadoreño del Café, four meetings were organized […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Tsujimoto Coffee

We want to welcome Suteki Na Jikan Inc and Tsujimoto Coffee. Tsujimoto Coffee is a roaster, packaging, retailing and wholesale operation in Japan. Their team of 18 work to serve […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Simon Lévelt

Simon Lévelt is new member of ACE but they are not new in the coffee industry. The family business Simon Lévelt was founded in 1826 and has almost 200 years […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Daarnhouwer & Co.

Join us in welcoming Daarnhouwer & Co to the ACE / COE family. Daarhnouwer & Co. is a Dutch specialty trading company specializing in coffee, cocoa, spices, tree nuts, tea […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Namusairo Coffee

Namusairo Coffee started as a small café in Seoul, Korea in 2002. They were one of the pioneers of specialty coffee in Seoul and believe that “daily life is enriched […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Combs’ Coffee

Let us introduce you to Combs Coffee from Texas in the USA. Combs Coffee and their 3 employees are the only US coffee company that gets to say they are […]
Cup of Excellence Announces its 20th Anniversary

The Cup of Excellence is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of its famed Cup of Excellence coffee farmer competition in Lavras, Brazil, where it all began in 1999. The 20th anniversary of the […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Three Beans

Welcome Three Beans Coffee Roasters! Located in Medan, North Sumatra, Three Beans Coffee Roasters specializes in personalized roasting and blending services. Johan, owner and operator single-handedly roasts and furnishes specialty […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Little Bean

Meet our one of our newest members, Little Bean. They are a string of 6 retail coffee shops in Shanghai, along with a certified roastery in Ningbo and a SCA […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Greybox Coffee

Greybox Coffee is a specialty coffee shop with a roasting facility located in China. At present, they have 30 specialty coffee shops located throughout various cities in China and scheduled […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Fellow Products

Fellow Products designs and manufactures coffee brewing equipment, drinkware, and accessories. They hold public and private cuppings as well as education courses in manual brewing and espresso. Their flagship store […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Dupuy Group

Dupuy Group is one of ACE’s newest 2019 members. They are a family-owned warehousing company that was founded in New Orleans, USA in 1936. Throughout their long history, their primary […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: BOTÁNICA

Botánica of Quito-Ecuador is one of ACE’s newest members. Owner, Camila Khalife has worked in the coffee industry for 6 years and opened her specialty coffee shop 4 years ago. […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: The Coffee Academics

The Coffee Academics is a chain of boutique cafes that started in Hong Kong in 2012. It was one of the first cafes serving specialty coffee in Hong Kong and […]
2018 Cup of Excellence – Year in Review

In 2018, Cup of Excellence (COE) in partnership with their in country partners completed 12 competitions in 11 different countries. The COE Auction and National Winner (NW) Auctions raised […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Seven Seeds

Seven Seeds of Melbourne, Australia has been sourcing, roasting, brewing and serving coffee for 10 years. They currently have 3 cafes – Seven Seeds, Brother Baba Budan and Traveller Coffee. […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Ryans Coffee Roasters

Meet Ryan Noh of Ryans Coffee Roasters in Seoul, Korea. Ryans Coffee Roasters imports and distributes green coffee, as well as roasting and selling to shops, restaurants, businesses, and individuals […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: RedMeow Coffee-Roastery

RedMeow Coffee-Roastery ACE member for 3 years Hong Kong RedMeow Coffee is about coffee and passion. They are a wholesale micro-roastery founded in 2016 with a business focused on roasting […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: NIPPON COFFEE TRADING CO., LTD.

NIPPON COFFEE TRADING CO., LTD. Japan Nippon Coffee Trading Co., Ltd specializes in importing and distributing green coffee for domestic roasters and coffee businesses in Japan. With 3 branches in […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Moustache Coffee Club

Moustache Coffee Club (MCC) is a specialty coffee subscription service focused on making fresh-roasted single-origin coffee available to everyone. They were founded in Los Angeles, CA., USA in 2013 and […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MOKKA COFFEE

MOKKA COFFEE, Athens Greece Mokka Coffee is located in Athens, Greece where they have been pursuing the best in coffee for 4 generations. Their main business is roasting – something […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: HoneyCoffee

HoneyCoffee of Japan has been a member of ACE for more than 12 years. Mr. Izaki, known by his friends as Mr. Honey, has participated in many COE International events […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: DRAGONFLY COFFEE ROASTERS

DRAGONFLY COFFEE ROASTERS Meet Tamas and the team of Dragonfly Coffee Roasters in Boulder, Colorado USA. Dragonfly has been an ACE member for 3 years and was named Micro Roaster […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Coffee Me Up

Coffee Me Up Member for 4 years Seoul, Korea Coffee Me Up has 2 coffee shops, a roastery and an academy in Seoul Korea and have a staff of 6. […]
80 Lots of 86+ Brazilian Coffees Head to Cup of Excellence Auctions

The 2018 Brazil Cup of Excellence competition was featured in Daily Coffee News. Read the whole article here.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: KAFFEBRENERIET

Oslo, Norway ACE member since 2002 Kaffebrenneriet is a long-standing business in Norway founded by Thomas Pulpan and Steinar Paulsrud in 1994. They are Oslos’s longest-running chain of coffee shops […]
Colombia Cup of Excellence Jury Awards 9 Lots 90+Breaking COE Record

Portland, Oregon USA (September 24th) – On Thursday, September 20th the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) concluded its 15th edition of the Cup of Excellence (COE) in Colombia. The competition […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Dabov Specialty Coffee

Sofia, Bulgaria ACE Member since 2012 DABOV Specialty Coffee is a family-owned roastery established 10 years ago. They have a strong dedication to improving the lives of everyone touched by […]
PRODUCER SPOTLIGHT: Mr. Luis Balladares, La Bendición, Nicaragua

Mr. Luis Balladares of “La Bendición” won 1st place in the year’s Nicaragua COE. Luis is a family man that speaks calmly and comes from a long line of coffee […]
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Huracan Coffee

Vilnius, Lithuania ACE member since 2005 Huracan Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster that started in 1999 when Vytautas Kratulis rented a tiny 16 square meter space and started roasting […]
The Cup of Excellence: The Oscars of the Coffee World

Some of the most amazing coffees I’ve ever tasted have been winners from the Cup of Excellence competition. The program has been referred to as the Oscars of coffee and […]