BOGOTA, Colombia – With a record price of 61.8 dollars per pound, Mesa de los Santos Premium organic coffee became the first Colombian coffee to win the online auction organized by Grounds for Health, an international NGO that promotes cervical cancer prevention in coffee growing communities around the world.
With coffees donated by producers and importers, the proceeds from the auction will support Grounds for Health’s prevention initiatives in countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua and Peru. This year, thanks to the more than 14,000 premium green coffee pounds that were donated by 27 producers and importers, the auction raised a total of US$ 53.221.
Mesa de los Santos is a medium roast shade-grown coffee with exquisite aroma and sweet, mild, chocolaty flavor. The 30-pound Mesa de los Santos lot, donated by Caravela Coffee and Hacienda El Roble, reached a total price of US$ 1.854. It received the highest bids (72) after the Guatemalan farm El Injerto’s coffee (88 bids), which reached a price of US$ 35 per pound.
“This proofs how far Colombia’s specialty coffees can go. It opens a path that other Colombian growers, who are interested in producing coffee of the highest quality, can follow,” said Roberto Vélez, CEO of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC).
“I am very pleased with this result. It’s the first time that a Colombian specialty coffee wins this auction, which is highly recognized in the global industry. This success belongs to Colombia as a whole,” noted Oswaldo Acevedo, coffee entrepreneur and producer of Mesa de los Santos coffee.
In addition to the satisfaction of contributing to a noble cause, the auction’s champions gain greater recognition in the global industry and in their countries of origin. This, in turn, contributes to a better brand positioning for their clients and consumers.
About Grounds for Health
Founded in 1996, Grounds for Health is an international NGO based in Williston, Vermont, USA. It has close ties to the coffee industry and its mission is to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer among women in developing countries.
Working with different partners including local authorities and health centers, coffee companies, and producer associations and cooperatives, Grounds for Health currently has cervical cancer prevention and basic treatment programs in coffee growing communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua and Peru.
To date, these programs have examined over 64,200 women, treated over 4,400 and trained over 440 health care providers
