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Kigali, Rwanda│Friday, September 7, 2007

The Golden Cup – the most esteemed prize for Rwanda’s best coffees – was awarded last week and the winning coffees were auctioned to international buyers for record prices. Results of the competition were announced on Friday, August 31, 2007 at the Hotel des Mille Collines with a coffee from the SDL Muyongwe washing station in Gakenke District earning the highest honor (the top 10 coffees are listed below). The next day this coffee was sold for over US$55 per kilogram to American companies Intelligentsia Coffee and Stumptown Coffee.

The Awards Ceremony and auction marked the culmination of Rwanda’s Golden Cup. The month long competition, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), was a strict and meticulous contest developed to garner international recognition for Rwanda’s burgeoning specialty coffee industry, to encourage the production of the highest quality coffee, and to directly link Rwandan farmers to coffee connoisseurs worldwide.

One hundred thirty-eight unique coffees from across the country entered the Golden Cup, but only the top twenty coffees that continuously received high scores from cuppers (tasters) through a rigorous series of five evaluations were awarded and sold to international buyers.

The coffees were evaluated for taste and quality by highly trained national and international juries. Judges came from as far away as Europe, Japan and the United States. The entire process was monitored by an independent consulting firm, Ernst & Young, in order to ensure fairness and transparency.

Maxime Christen, one of the international jurors and employee of the Schluter Trading Company based in Switzerland, noted that “in our 150 years in the business, we have never seen prices as high as US$25 per pound for any African coffee. It is a great achievement, and shows that there are people willing to pay great prices for great coffee. The producers are beginning to see some spectacular rewards for all their hard work.”

According to Tim Schilling, Director of the USAID/SPREAD Project, the auction demonstrated that high quality Rwandan coffee is “sought after by some of the most prestigious coffee companies in the world.” The Director for Counter Culture Coffee from the United States, Peter Giuliano, added that he was “proud to participate in this event that signifies Rwanda’s transition into one of the elite coffee producing countries of the world.”

The Golden Cup is a component of the USAID/SPREAD Project. USAID/Rwanda previously provided $10 million over six years to help develop this specialty agribusiness. In November 2006, USAID renewed its commitment to the industry’s growth by funding Sustaining Partnerships to enhance Rural Enterprise and Agribusiness Development (SPREAD), a five-year, US$6 million project dedicated to improving value chain management. SPREAD works to better the industry’s links “from the seed to the cup.”

Speaking about the Golden Cup, Acting Mission Director for USAID/Rwanda, Ryan Washburn, noted that the event highlighted “the exceptional quality of Rwandan coffee and placed it on the international map. The Golden Cup contributes to the project’s objectives of improving the lives of farmers in Rwanda and spurring sustainable economic growth.”

The Golden Cup was organized by USAID/SPREAD and OCIR Café, Rwanda’s Coffee Development Authority, and made possible with the support of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, National University of Rwanda, RWASCHOSCCO, RFCA, HORIZON, MISOZI, ENAS and Ernst & Young.

Rwanda’s Golden Cup Coffee Competition 2007

Rank Washing Station District Number of 60kg Bags Price per Kg Final Score

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