FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2008 Cup of Excellence® Schedule Released: Welcomes Rwanda

MISSOULA, MT – The Alliance for Coffee Excellence, Inc. recently released the 2008 Cup of Excellence® schedule, readying the program for another successful year. With the 2008 schedule ACE also welcomes Rwanda to the Cup of Excellence, representing the first time the program has expanded beyond its Central American roots. In all, eight countries will participate in the stringent competition and auction program: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Rwanda, Colombia and Bolivia.

This expansion beyond its traditional roots in Central and South America illustrates the growing interest in the program from throughout the world. “We are definitely excited to welcome Rwanda to our Cup of Excellence family,” explains Susie Spindler, executive director of ACE, which runs the Cup of Excellence program. “As the first program for ACE in Africa this represents a significant step for both the Cup of Excellence program and for Rwanda,” she adds. “The continued success of the program and the demand from the marketplace for extraordinary coffees has allowed us to welcome Rwanda to the Cup of Excellence, and in turn, the competition and auction will help Rwandan farmers bring their truly exceptional coffees to the specialty market.”

In addition to an expansion of the program, Spindler anticipates that 2008 will once again bring high average prices for the winning coffees sold at auction. Since its inception in 1999, the price per pound has steadily increased to reach $6.11 in 2007. In just the past four years the average price per pound has increased nearly 75% from $4.56 to $6.11.

“Attention to quality on the part of the growers, coupled with increased competition from buyers around the world has helped Cup of Excellence winning farmers receive more money for their efforts,” added Spindler. In response to the marketplace momentum, the opening price for all auctions will be increased this year.

With its continued success, international jury participation has strengthened as well. To date, juries for most competitions are already full, with waiting lists for some countries.

Since it’s beginnings in 1999, the Cup of Excellence® program has hosted programs in Brazil, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Bolivia and Colombia. The Cup of Excellence program is managed by the non-profit Alliance for Coffee Excellence, Inc, The state of the art Cup of Excellence auction has been managed since 2002 in partnership with CommoditiesOne, a leading software development firm. For more information about the Cup of Excellence program, or to become a member log on to www.cupofexcellence.org

The 2008 Cup of Excellence schedule is as follows:

• Costa Rica: International Competition April 7-11; Auction May 15.

• Nicaragua: International Competition, April 14-18; Auction May 27.

• El Salvador: International Competition April 21-25; Auction June 5.

• Guatemala: International Competition May 8-12; Auction June 12.

• Honduras: International Competition May 19-23; Auction July 8.

• Rwanda: International Competition August 25-29; Auction October 14.

• Colombia: International Competition Sept. 15-19; Auction October 28.

• Bolivia: International Competition October 6-10; Auction November 25.