TRIESTE, Italy – illycaffè, the global leader in high-quality sustainable coffee, announces the launch of the tastings dedicated to the finalists in the 2021 Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award 2021: from April 1st to the end of the year, participating illy Cafè in Europe and North America will host a veritable voyage of discovery around the world, featuring samples of nine Arabica coffee crops selected for their sustainable quality.
The Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award, now in its sixth years, commemorates illycaffè’s visionary leader, the son of the company’s founder and a pioneer in virtuous collaboration with coffee farmers.
The award is bestowed on the best coffee crops worldwide in terms of their sustainable quality and renews the company’s commitment to improving the lives of producers while making its dream come true: offering the best coffee in the world.
The tastings will feature nine crops of 100% Arabica coffee from Ethiopia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia and India.
They include Guatemala’s Proyecto Lift Olopita, the winner of the “Coffee Lover’s Choice” award, assigned by a consumer panel through blind tastings organized in selected illy Cafè worldwide, and India’s Jumboor Estate, winner of the “Best of the Best” award assigned by an independent panel of international experts.
The nine finalist Arabica coffees will be available for one month each from April to December 2022 in selected illy Café in Europe and the United States.
They can be enjoyed both in the classic espresso version, and during the summer months of June to September, they will also be available for the very first time in an exclusive cold version.
All participating illy Cafè will also exhibit the illustrations designed by 9 international artists especially for this project: a new way to tell the story of coffee culture, with 9 creative talents who, month after month, will depict the colours symbolizing the nine finalist countries and the aromas of their coffees.
The full schedule is as follows:
- April: Ethiopia – illustration by Yukai Du @yukai_du
- May: Brazil – illustration by Medeline Kate Martinez @madelinekate_illustrate
- June: Costa Rica – illustration by Mark Conlan @markconlan
- July: Guatemala – illustration by Marcos Guinoza @marcosgunoza
- August: Nicaragua – illustration by Kit Agar @kitagar
- September: El Salvador – illustration by Charly Clements @charlyclements
- October: Honduras – illustration by Maggie Stephenson @_maggiestephenson_
- November: Colombia – illustration by Sebastian Curi @sebacuri
- December: India – illustration by Myriam Van Neste @myriam__vanneste
For the list of participating locations: illy.com/DiscoverEiica
