São Paulo – At an auction held last week in the state of Minas Gerais, a bag of coffee was sold for 8,100 Brazilian reals (US$ 4,707). The coffee in question was the winner of the 7th Minas Gerais Special Coffee Quality Contest, grown at the Kaquend farm, in the municipality of Carmo de Minas. On the market, one bag of coffee sells for around 350 reals (US$ 200), according to information supplied by the state of Minas Gerais.
The contest, which awards prizes to the highest quality coffees in the state, is promoted by the Secretariat of Agriculture, the Emater and the Federal University of Lavras. The auction and award ceremony took place at the seat of the university. The champion competed in the Cereja Descascado (Peeled Cherry) category and was graded 89.1 on a scale of up to 100.
The grower of the winning coffee is Ralph Castro Junqueira, who plants coffee at 37 different properties and certifies his product under the Certifica Minas Café program, developed by the state government to adapt the production to international regulations.
"It is crucial to add value to your coffee and to provide a quality product. Last year, I entered the contest and finished second. You can only go on the market with this type of work. It takes much dedication, lots of sweat," said Junqueira.
The bag of the winning coffee was purchased at the auction by a consortium comprising company Carmo Coffees, the Kahlua coffee shop, in Belo Horizonte, and by businessman Bruno Souza, of Academia do Café. It is a very high quality coffee," said the businessman.
The contest also included the Natural category, which was won by the coffee produced by grower Efraim Botrel Alves, from the municipality of Ilicínea, in the south of the state of Minas. He got a score of 89.9 and sold a batch of nine bags, for 900 reals (US$ 523) each, plus another bag for 4,000 reals (US$ 2,324). "This is an effort that has been going on for many years. Ten years ago, I decided to invest in special coffees. Recognition at the contests is a good way of attracting foreign buyers. I already export the coffee that I grow," said the farmer.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
