FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Missoula, MT (April, 07, 2007) - This year’s 2007 Colombia First Harvest Cup of Excellence® Competition sets a new auction price record for Colombia, while also bringing in the highest average price per lot ($6.73) in Cup of Excellence history.

Selling for $19.20 per pound, the La Esperanza coffee auction price tops Colombia’s previous record of $19.10 per pound received during the First Harvest competition auction held in 2005.

In addition to the record price paid for La Esperanza, all 30 of the winning lots garnered high prices, making this year’s competition a success for farmers who often struggle to make ends meet. In fact, this year’s winner from Las Esperanza, Isaias Cantillo Osa, borrowed money for travel expenses to attend the awards ceremony.

The high prices paid during the Colombian auction are indicative of the growing demand for Colombia Cup of Excellence coffees. In previous years, Colombia has participated in both an early and late season COE competition, bringing these high quality coffees to market twice a year. The incredible quality of the winning coffees added to the knowledge that this will be the only auction for Colombia this year drove the high demand.

Thirty lots were auctioned off, varying in size from 15 to 23 bags, with the average price paid for coffee reaching $6.73 per pound. The top five coffees brought in an average price of $7.65. Within 30 minutes, each of the coffees had a bid placed, with some already reaching over $9 per pound. In less than two hours, all coffees had reached the $2/lb mark, and continued to climb. The brisk bids illustrated to farmers that quality pays.

Buyers from Japan proved to be the big winners in the auction, purchasing 14 lots in all. Europe and the U.S. both took home 8 lots each.

“We are very satisfied with the results of this year’s competition,” says Dr. Silva, CEO of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. “The specialty coffee program of the Federation and the Cup of Excellence Competition has allowed many coffee producers the opportunity to obtain the highest prices for their coffee. It truly illustrates to the farmers that quality pays.”

The majority of lots were purchased by single companies, as opposed to buying groups, further illustrating the growing demand for high quality coffees from Colombia and the willingness to secure these coffees through higher bids.

“The Cup of Excellence program has continued to offer Colombian farmers, large and small, with the opportunity to participate. Says Carlos Alberto, director of the Specialty Coffee Program of the National Federation of Colombia. “This year the quality of participants was so good, that the prices paid during auction was much higher than any expectations we had.”

Since it’s beginnings in 1999, the Cup of Excellence® program has hosted programs in Brazil, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Bolivia and Colombia. The Cup of Excellence program is managed by the non-profit Alliance for Coffee Excellence, Inc, The state of the art Cup of Excellence auction has been managed in partnership with CommoditiesOne, a leading software development firm since 2002. For more information about the Cup of Excellence program, to become a member log on to www.cupofexcellence.org. To learn more about Colombian specialty coffees, log on to www.juanvaldez.com.