Winners announced of Guatemala One of a Kind auction

1st place Agricola Industrial Santa Rosa S.A. Image: Cup of Excellence
The National Coffee Association (Anacafé) and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) has announced and awarded the 15 winning coffees of the second edition of the One of a Kind auction with which more opportunities for promotion and access to the market are provided to the producers of Guatemalan coffee.
First place was for Santa Clara Productive Unit of Acatenango, Chimaltenango with 90.95 points; second place was for El Morito, from Mataquescuintla, Jalapa, with 90.11 points; and the third place was for La Concepción, from San Martín Jilotepeque, Chimaltenango, with 89.16 points.
“This is not just my victory, it is a team effort, the people who helped me to prepare the coffee are part of this victory. Two days ago we celebrated our anniversary, 139 years of having the farm in the family, I am the fourth generation and this achievement is the best way to celebrate,” said Agricola Industrial Santa Rosa S.A., first-place winner.
In the initial phase, a total of 118 samples were received (67 were washed process, 13 honey, and 38 natural). Of all of these coffees, 23 were participating in an auction for the first time, and 62 of them have already participated in similar events without reaching to be winners.
In the early stages, the 118 samples were rated by a panel of 12 national expert cuppers. This panel selected 39 coffees with the best scores to participate in the International Round, where 13 national and international cuppers from the United States, South Korea, Greece, Taiwan, Czech Republic, United Arab Emirates and Guatemala, led by Alex Pond (Senior Educator and ACE Project Coordinator) evaluated and selected the 15 winning coffees that obtained a score above 86 points to participate in the electronic auction.
“One of a Kind coffee represents the best of what is possible. These coffees showcase the incredible talent of Guatemalan coffee farmers. Incredible sweet clean and unique,” said Alex Pond.
The president of Anacafé, Juan Luis Barrios, commented that “in Anacafé we have implemented the One of a Kind seeking to motivate coffee producers to implement innovative processes such as anaerobic fermentation, double washing, use of yeasts, among others, and promoting traditional varieties with customers from around the world who have the necessary purchasing power to offer better prices for coffees with unique profiles.
“One of a Kind has also allowed us to discover the exceptional coffees that are produced in productive units, cooperatives, and smaller-scale producers who had not previously participated in competitions of this type,” added Barrios.
One of the world trends is focused on the consumption of nano and micro-batches of unique coffees, with processes differentiated in their preparation. The One of a Kind auction responds to these new market trends and seeks to provide more Guatemalan coffee producers with direct marketing opportunities by showing innovative coffee offers to potential buyers around the world.
Worldwide, Guatemalan coffee is recognized for its quality and exceptional production process. The dedication and experience of the producers who cultivate these shade-grown coffees, the manual collection of each coffee cherry at the exact point of ripeness, microclimates, soil types, altitudes in mountainous areas and volcanic, combine to produce one of the best coffees in the world, Guatemalan coffees.
The One of a Kind Guatemala 2022 electronic auction will be held on Thursday, 28 July, and will be priced opening fee of $5.00 per pound. See the full list of winners and purchase sample sets at: allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/one-of-a-kind-guatemala/