FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Missoula MT. (June 29, 2006) - With less than a point difference in score and less than a 5 cent difference in price, the first and second place virtually tied for receiving top honors and breaking the El Salvador top coffee price. These 2 winning competition coffees sold for $17.00 and $17.04 respectively today during the Cup of Excellence® internet auction, breaking the previous record of $16.30 from 2005.

“I’m deeply happy that our country is being recognized for its high quality coffees, as evidence with these high prices, this will help all Salvadorans,” Roberto Ortiz, owner Las Mercedes and the winning farmer.

“I was not expecting these excellent results that I’m looking on the screen right now,” explained Sergio Edmundo Ticas the second place farmer as he watched the auction. “I’m very proud for all the support we are getting at origin thanks to all the international buyers. Thank you very much, and God blesses you all,” he continued.

Mr. Taroh from Saza Coffee Co., Ltd. in Japan, the winning bidder for the number one farm, lived near the unknown Usulutan department for a short time and recognized the quality of its coffees. He was fighting off competitive bids at 3:00 AM Japan time as the bidding got fierce for this and the number 2 coffee toward the end of the almost 6 hour auction.

A multinational roaster group bid up the coffee from Los Planes to a record price for a second place coffee in any auction. This coffee, a Pacamara variety, will be shared by 11 companies scattered from Japan to Oslo to the US.

Lot sizes ranged from 13 bags to 64 bags. There were several lots with more than 35 bags but even the much larger lots received a very good price. Kaffeebreenieriet of Oslo purchased the largest and plans to promote it for as their special holiday coffee. Another Oslo roaster importer, Solberg and Hansen ended the auction owning two lots after getting outbid on several more. S&H continues to be the only company to have purchase Cup of Excellence coffee at all 26 auctions

The top 10 lots averaged $7.50 per lot and the overall price per lot averaged $5.29, with the average per pound for all of the auctioned coffee coming in at $4.70lb. This is well over normal specialty coffee prices and indicates the scrutiny these coffees go through to win the competition.

This was the fourth Cup of Excellence® program for El Salvador. Ricardo Espitia, Executive Director for the Consejo Salvadoreño del Café said, “We are very thrilled with the results as we got new national records which confirmed the excellent quality El Salvador produces and send s a strong positive signal to all of our producers to continue striving to achieve excellence.”

This is the 26th auction for the Cup of Excellence® program which is owned by the US based non-profit Alliance for Coffee Excellence Inc. in partnership with producing countries. For more information on the winning farmers, their stories, and a complete list of the buyers for the winning coffees log on to www.cupofexcellence.org. Guatemala’s winning Cup of Excellence coffees will be auctioned off on July 11th, 2006.