Winners of the 1st Mantiqueira de Minas Coffee Quality Contest Announced
Winners of the 1st Mantiqueira de Minas Coffee Quality Contest Announced
Carmo de Minas, MG – On Friday, November 14, 2014, at 6 PM, the awards ceremony of the 1st Mantiqueira de Minas Coffee Quality Contest took place, with the objective of promoting the excellence of the region’s coffees and also bringing recognition to the producers. The event was held at the Clube URCA and was attended by producers, representatives of local coops and also by SEBRAE, the main supporter of the Geographical Indication (GI) project in the region.
For the contest, samples were sent of coffees already distinguished in similar events held by the local coops. From these samples, the judges selected 15 winning coffees in the natural category and another 15 in the pulped natural category. The evaluation process of the samples was conducted only by Q Graders, generating greater reliability for the future buyers of those coffees. According to the best practices in similar coffee quality contests, the samples sent to the judges were numbered, so that the name of the producers remained confidential during the entire evaluation stage.
According to Antônio José Junqueira Villela, president of APROCAM (Association of Coffee Producers in Mantiqueira), the entity representing, controlling and promoting the Mantiqueira de Minas – PGI (Protected Geographical Indication): “the coffees participating in the contest are all certified with the Seal Guaranteed Origin and Quality. This gives the buyers the certainty they have a product that reflects unique organoleptic characteristics, only found in our region. The seal proves our commitment to promote the Mantiqueira de Minas origin, and also, to praise our secular tradition in the production of rare and surprising coffees”.
Professor Leandro Carlos Paiva, from the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Sul de Minas (South of Minas Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology), was responsible for the technical coordination of the contest and declared, to the producers attending the event, that: “the contest cannot be seen as an end, but as a means. Through initiatives such as this one, Mantiqueira de Minas evolves in the constant journey for quality and for more precise identification of the characteristics of its coffees. The contest is a means to demonstrate the region’s potential and to promote it, as well as to promote the producers and coops working together to bring to the market such highly differentiated product”.
The lots from the contest will later be made available to the market through an auction system of the local coops. See below the winners’ list:
Natural Coffees
1 Sebastião Afonso da Silva COCARIVE
2 Bruno Henrique da Silva COOPERRITA
3 Marcos Antonio de Castro COCARIVE
4 Marlise Pereira Junqueira COCARIVE
5 Sergio Junqueira Dias COCARIVE
6 Mariana de Carvalho Junqueira COCARIVE
7 Augusto Borges Ferreira COOPERVASS
8 Jarbas Cleto Lopes COOPERVASS
9 Paulo Ribeiro Rocha COCARIVE
10 José Marciano Silveira COOPERVASS
11 Luciano Augusto Ferreira COOPERVASS
12 Mario Henrique Junqueira de Moraes COCARIVE
13 Mathuzalem Fernandes Pereira COOPERVASS
14 Augusto César Lemos Ayres COOPERVASS
15 Clara Carneiro Pereira
COOPER RITA
Pulped Natural Coffees
1 Amanda Ribeiro Pinto COCARIVE
2 Ricardo Antônio de Faria COOPERRITA
3 Marcio Heleno de Carvalho Junqueira COCARIVE
4 Breno Neiva Junqueira COCARIVE
5 João Batista Gorgulho de Castro COCARIVE
6 Mariana de Carvalho Junqueira COCARIVE
7 Jorge Mackssur COCARIVE
8 Maria José Junqueira Ceglia COCARIVE
9 Taylor Dias de Castro COCARIVE
10 Maria do Carmo Neiva Junqueira COCARIVE
11 Roberto Machado M. Barros COOPER RITA
12 Renata Guerra de Castro COCARIVE
13 Carlos Alberto Oliveira de Faria COOPERRITA
14 Cezar Rennó Moreira COOPERRITA
15 Gilberto Nogueira Cellet COOPERRITA
About Mantiqueira de Minas: The region is located in the southern part of the state of Minas Gerais, comprising 22 municipalities and a farming area of 69,500 hectares dedicated to the production of approximately,1,340,000 coffee bags. This area is distributed among 7,800 producers, mostly owners of small farms. The Indication of Origin is controlled by APROCAM, the entity created to represent and promote the development of the producers in the region.
Further information may be found in the site www.mantiqueirademinas.com.br
