Ethiopian Cup Auction Results in $84,000+ in Premiums for Growers

International jurors from the second annual Ethiopian Cup auction, led by Dutch import company Trabocca. Trabocca Founder Menno Simons is pictured second from right. Photo by Trabocca.

Organized by The Netherlands-based green coffee importer Trabocca, the Ethiopian Cup coffee auction resulted in USD $84,274 in premiums above a base price for coffee producers from the prized regions of Guji, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe.

While the total amount of premiums raised is slightly down from the totals at last year’s inaugural event, Trabocca said auction bids and subsequent premiums were split more evenly among the 15 producers or producer groups behind the winning lots.

The highest price paid went to a natural-process Yirgacheffe that came from Gersi smallholder farmers from Aricha Kebele. Three companies — BP Commerce (Korea), Coffee Libre (Korea) and Hisashi Yamamoto Coffee (Japan) — each paid $17.25 per pound for splits of the lot.

The second highest earning coffee, from Idido smallholder farmers, received winning bids of $16.10 from Stumptown Coffee Roasters (United States), $15.71 from Ontheup International (Taiwan) and $15.25 from Friedhats Coffee Roasters (The Netherlands). No coffees received winning bids lower than $9.00 per pound.

Trabocca said it plans to distribute the premiums to producers during the company’s annual sourcing visits.

“The premiums are more evenly spread amongst all growers, as opposed to last year’s auction, where a few benefited more heavily,” Trabocca Founder Menno Simons said in a statement following the auction. “This gives all participating growers the opportunity to reinvest in their farms and families.”

The 15 winning coffee lots — all of which were split into three sub-lots for the auction after scoring at least 87 points — were evaluated by an international jury that included Rubens Gardelli of Gardelli Specialty Coffees (Italy), Ryan Knapp of Madcap Coffee (USA), Katy Keisling of Stumptown, Anette Moldvaer of Square Mile Coffee Roasters, Myung Geun Kim of Coffee Libre, Scott Tedder of Bonanza Coffee (Germany), Jose Aguilar of Monmouth Coffee (UK), Lee Jong Hoon of Coffee Graffiti, and Lex Wenneker of Friedhats.

See the complete auction results here.