Small Growers Present Mexico's Best Cup of Coffee

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) and several institutions awarded 30 coffee growers during the Cup of Excellence 2021 Contest that aims to promote Mexico's coffee's high-grade quality and highlight the country's top international standards.

SADER and the National Committee of the Coffee Producers, represented by the Mexican Association of the Coffee Production Chain (AMECAFÉ), indicate that many of the winners were from small-scale production units, many of them certified as organic, fair trade and carbon neutral. In addition, coffee growers report that their product generates tremendous demand in several international markets in Asia, Europe, Australia, North America and Mexico as well. 

The eighth edition of the Cup of Excellence Contest has changed the paradigm and will also recognize small-scale coffee growers and not just large coffee farms. This year, 187 coffee tastings participated in the contest. The 30 winners were mainly small-scale producers, both with traditional and resilient varieties, with different types of processing, nevertheless, with a high degree of specialization technique.

Víctor Villalobos Arámbula, Minister of SADER, congratulated the winning coffee growers from Chiapas, the State of Mexico, Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz and Guerrero. He indicated that it is essential to implement a public-private strategy to promote the consumption of Mexican coffee, both in national and international markets, as this will allow the country to continue increasing per capita consumption, currently estimated at 1.51 kilograms.

As previously reported by MBN, the federal government has already worked on policies to promote and sustain coffee crops such as Production for Well-Being to encourage small and medium-sized growers. According to SADER, the program bolsters approximately 180,000 coffee growers, 66 percent of them belonging to indigenous groups. In addition, the emergency program "Production for Well-Being" launched a coffee financing scheme in 2020. This program seeks to provide financial aid to farmers to sustain their productive activity in the face of the sanitary contingency. Domestic products have been affected by the coffee rust epidemic, while the effects of climate change have aggravated fungal infestations. 

Several government institutions have taken permanent actions to fight against the coffee rust epidemic to protect crops. SADER, through the National Service for Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA), with the support of the National Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Livestock Research (INIFAP) and the National Seed Inspection and Certification Service (SNICS), have supported with technical assistance and improved material resistant to pests and diseases.

In addition, Villalobos Arámbula urged public, private and international efforts, such as the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (STPS), IMSS, unions and the International Labor Organization (ILO), to ensure occupational health and safety in the agribusiness sector as well as protecting human rights of agricultural workers and prevent child labor in all farming activities.