Certified Sustainable Coffee Recognized for Outstanding Quality

Results from Rainforest Alliance Cupping for Quality Events Announced at SCAA Conference

Rainforest Alliance
May 7, 2007

The Rainforest Alliance has announced the results of two recent Cupping for Quality events, where a panel of independent coffee experts evaluated coffee from nearly 100 Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in 11 countries at the headquarters of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) in Long Beach, California.

Top scorers from the cupping events, which took place last month and last December, included farms from Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Nicaragua and Mexico. With all countries represented receiving an average score of more than 80, which is the threshold to receive specialty status, the results of the cupping events show that sustainable farming practices produce high-quality coffee.

“When farmers are meeting a set of holistic standards covering soil and water conservation and good worker treatment, those responsible practices result in the production of better beans,” said Sabrina Vigilante, senior marketing manager in the Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable agriculture program. “These results show that a range of industry experts agree. Put simply: Sustainable practices yield a premium product.”

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