MILAN – The nonprofit Cup of Excellence (COE) and coffee research company RD2 Vision have formed a memorandum of understanding to develop coffee genetics related programs to benefit quality farmers. In alignment with COE’s mission to discover and promote coffee excellence, precise knowledge about coffee variety is a key constituent thus further substantiating the relationship with French-based RD2 Vision. The two organizations will work together to help coffee producers, traders and roasters increase their knowledge about coffee varieties with extended benefits to Alliance for Coffee Excellence’s (ACE) membership network.
This collaboration will help further understand what growers are cultivating and the benefits that support excellence in the specialty coffee sector through varietal authentication. RD2 Vision will build reports that indicate the genetic identity corresponding to the sample(s) based on the optimal available set of DNA fingerprinting markers. These reports would be made available less than a month after reception of the samples by RD2 Vision.
“RD2 Vision is really excited and privileged to partner with the highly respected Cup of Excellence and provide insights on the genetic identity of varieties giving outstanding cup”, says Dr Christophe Montagnon CEO of RD2 Vision. “Looking at the varieties is not only checking what it is, it is also finding rare birds such as Yemenia in Yemen or unexpected Ethiopian landraces – Chiroso, one of the Colombia Cup of Excellence winners, that was thought to be a mutation of Caturra.”
Part of this agreement includes the two organizations partnering together to raise funds for systematic DNA fingerprinting of COE winners in each COE competition. To get involved, please contact support@cupofexcellence.org.
About Alliance for Coffee Excellence & Cup of Excellence
Alliance for Coffee Excellence is a global non-profit organization dedicated to advancing excellence in coffee. Helping to determine some of the world’s best coffees, the Cup of Excellence is a program that gives out the most prestigious award in coffee and has improved the lives of thousands of farmers. The program’s unmatched focus on quality discovery, farmer premiums and transparency has changed the specialty coffee industry. For more information about membership and to register for samples and auctions please visit allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org. For information about the Cup of Excellence program and winning producers, please visit cupofexcellence.org.
About RD2 Vision
RD2 Vision’s Core Business is to advise for efficient investment strategies in the coffee production sector and eventually to provide pragmatic and cost-effective strategic action plans. Our company was created in 2012 with the ambition to fill the gap at the interface of the Research and the Coffee Business world with a specific focus on genetics and varieties. RD2’s mission is to raise awareness on the multiple innovation opportunities in the coffee sector, namely those related with genetic knowledge. As part of its service, RD2 Vision is offering DNA fingerprinting analysis in order to have an informed robust knowledge on varieties that are being handled all along the coffee supply chain.
