SAO PAULO, Brazil – It’s a silver anniversary for the “Ernesto Illy Quality Award for Espresso Coffee.” In fact, last night, a celebration was held for the 25th edition of the award introduced to Brazil by illycaffè in 1991 as concrete recognition of the work of growers that have committed themselves to producing quality coffee in a sustainable way.
This is a prestigious milestone for the company, which has always made social, economic and environmental sustainability the cornerstones of its philosophy. The award has also served as an important incentive, which has taken the Brazilian bean to a considerably higher level, making it universally recognized and appreciated.
This unique edition was conquered by women. In fact, the much sought-after award was won by Juliana Tyko Armelin of the company Terra Alta, from the city of Ibià (Minas Gerais).
This was the first time the producer had participated in the competition, and she returns the trophy to the Cerrado Mineiro region after a seven-year absence.
During the awards ceremony for this traditional competition organized by illycaffè, Juliana Tyko Armelin was awarded 70,000 reais.
Second place went to Laerte Pelosini Filho of the state of São Paulo while third place went to another woman – Leda Terezinha Castellani Pereira Lima of Minas Gerais.
For this edition, the Trieste-based company gave away prizes valued at 220,000 Brazilian reais to growers (national finalists and regional winners) and winners of special prizes.
During the awards event, which took place last night at the CETIP Theatre of the Tomie Othake Institute in São Paulo, Andrea Illy, President and CEO of illycaffè, announced the evolution of the Brazil Prize and the creation of the first International Ernesto Illy Award.
With this new award, illy will proclaim the best coffee in the world each year, chosen among the coffees that come from the nine growing regions that make up the unique illy blend.
“Since 1991 and up to today, more than 10,000 producers have participated in the Ernesto Illy Award with more than $4 million awarded, which has contributed to the development of entire regions of Brazil, such as the areas around Pirajù, the inland areas of Cerrado and the mountainous regions of the state of Minas Gerais,” said Andrea Illy.
“After 25 years of working with Brazilian growers and the excellent results achieved, we want to extend these opportunities to all growers we work with, in the 9 Countries from which come the 9 ingredients making up our blend, including of course Brazil itself. The award will therefore follow a natural global evolution, and will go from being a local initiative to become the first truly international award dedicated to the quality of coffee.”
The first International Ernesto Illy Award will be assigned in New York in autumn 2016.
A jury of national and international experts chose the best coffees after testing samples and classifying the beans by appearance, desiccation, colour, type, moisture level, roast and, finally, the quality of the beverage.
