TRIESTE, Italy – The winners of the 29th Premio Ernesto Illy de Qualidade Sustentavel do Café para Espresso of Brazil, the initiative that enhances Brazilian coffee production and established by illycaffè to develop the quality and sustainability of coffee in the country were unveiled yesterday. They are all from Minas Gerais, Brazil’s leading coffee-producing state.
The winners of the Premio Ernesto Illy de Qualidade Sustentavel do Café para Espressoare, in alphabetical order:
- Fazenda Sequoia Minas, from Angelândia in Chapada de Minas
- Haroldo Barcelos Veloso, from Carmo do Paranaíba in the Cerrado Mineiro region
- Raimundo Dimas Santana Filho, from Araponga in the Matas de Minas region
They win R$10,000 (US$1,785) each and a trip to visit Trieste (Italy) and the Headquarters of illycaffè.
The 40 coffee lots that reached the final of the award were selected among 970 coffee samples coming from the harvest season 2019/2020, sent from many Arabica coffee producing regions.
It is the second largest number of samples in the history of the award.
The three coffee producers awarded for the quality of the coffee produced will represent Brazil at the 5th edition of the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award where an international jury will select the best beans of the 2019-2020 season among 9 coffee countries.
Presented annually since 1991, the Premio Ernesto Illy de qualidade sustentavel do cafè para espresso is the top prize for Brazilian coffee growers.
Established by illycaffè as a fundamental part of its coffee quality and sustainability development plan, the awards have already recognised more than 1,500 coffee growers over the years.