For Immediate Release

Thirty-Seven Nicaraguan Coffees Honored With

Cup of Excellence® Award:

A Record Number Head to Auction

(Managua, May 5, 2003) - A record number of coffees were awarded the distinguished Cup of Excellence prize on May 3, 2003 during the second annual Nicaragua Cup of Excellence® competition. Held in Managua, the competition has once again proven to be a success for the Nicaraguan coffee community, with 37 coffees being presented with the distinguished Cup of Excellence award.

“The Cup of Excellence program has had a tremendous positive impact on the coffee industry in Nicaragua,” explained Roberto Bendana, president of the Managua-based Specialty Coffee Association of Nicaragua, and Vice Minister of Agriculture. “We could not have created the amount of interest for our country and our wonderful coffee without it.”

In its first year, 23 coffees were brought to auction, with the highest price paid for a lot during the auction being $11.75 lb. This year, 37 Nicaraguan Cup of Excellence coffees will be auctioned to the highest bidder on June 10th. Only coffees that receive a score of at least 80 at each cupping table are presented with the Cup of Excellence distinction, with the winning coffees being cupped five times by a professional group of international cuppers. The rigorous process of selection helps ensure that those coffees presented the award meet specific quality standards set forth by the Cup of Excellence program.

The winning coffee sample hailed from Hacienda Santa Rosa of Matagalpa, receiving a cumulative score of 95.1 on the final day of cupping. “Winning a Cup of Excellence award is wonderful,” explained Francisco Lanza Monges, the winning farmer. “But to win first place is amazing. I never knew my coffee was so good. Receiving this award gives me great expectation!”

The Cup of Excellence program was designed to build the bridge between the exemplary coffee farmer and the exemplary coffee buyer. The competition and auction are tools to help the trade find and reward these coffee farmers.

Thirteen of the winning farms were located in the Jinotega and Matagalpa region, both of which are well-known to the coffee trade. Additionally, a large number of winning farms were located in the lesser-known areas, especially Nueva Segovia.

“The Cup of Excellence competition discovers farms and regions that in many instances have been relatively unknown and often ignored by the specialty trade,” explained Susie Spindler, co-creator and manager of Cup of Excellence. “Once the winners are announced and it becomes apparent that these areas have great coffees, buyers will get excited about visiting the farms and in finding all the possibilities the region has to offer.”

In addition to the presentation of the Cup of Excellence award, five farmers, including the winning finca, Hacienda Santa Rosa of Matagalpa, were presented with the prestigious Presidential Honor for scoring higher than 90 points in the final day of cupping, a task that is very difficult to accomplish. Presidential Honorees also include La Esperanza, Department of Ocotal, farmer Armando Zeledon Centeno; La Pradera, Department of Nueva Segovia, farmer David Ariel Lovo G.; Cooperativa La Union, Department of Nueva Segovia; and Finca Santa Maria, Department of Jinotega, farmer Otto William Zamora Pastora.

“The organizers of the Nicaragua Cup of Excellence have done a great job in communicating to all of the farmers in getting samples from throughout the country,” added Spindler. “Almost twice as many samples were submitted this year as last, with the quality level much greater.”

The Cup of Excellence program is open to any country willing to follow its guidelines. Brazil, El Salvador, and Nicaragua are the three countries that will participate in the Cup of Excellence program in 2003. For more information about these winning coffees or to sign up as a member of Cup of Excellence, visit the new web site at www.cupofexcellence.org, or contact Susie Spindler at 406-542-3509.