Chennai: illycaffè, the world’s leading processor and marketer of Espresso coffee, has instituted a cash award, 1st India Coffee Quality Prize for Espresso, amounting $10,000.

Growers of Arabica Plantation A coffee beans for the harvest of 2002-03 are eligible to compete for the award modelled on the Brazilian Quality Award. This is one way of illycaffe spotting quality growers as a sourcing point. Every day over 5 million cups of illy’s unique blend of espresso coffee, Arabica, are served around the world.

“The award has been instituted to encourage Indian coffee growers of Quality Arabica Plantation A Coffee to produce high-quality coffee for espresso preparation,” says Andrea Illy, chief executive officer. Based in Trieste, Italy, illycaffè produces and markets a unique blend of espresso coffee, under a single brand. It is available in more than 40,000 restaurants and coffee bars all over the world.

In India, illycaffè has tied-up with Coffeelab to manage the execution of evaluation for the award, as per the guidelines specified by illycaffè.

The 1st India Coffee Quality Prize for Espresso will comprise a citation and a cash award of the equivalent of $10,000 for the first runner-up, with the cash award of the equivalent of $7000 for the second runner-up and $5,000 for the third runner-up. The best coffee in each region of growth in India, if it comes within the final 15 lots, will also be awarded a Certificate of Regional Champion.

Top 15 growers will also be awarded certificates of merit. “An international jury will conduct the final evaluation in Italy, and the awards will be conducted in a transparent and scientific manner, so as to ensure that it is completely free and fair,” says Sunalini Menon, the chief executive of Coffeelab.

Based in Trieste, Italy, illycaffè produces and markets a unique blend of espresso coffee, under a single brand leader in quality. It is available in more than 40,000 of the best restaurants and coffee bars all over the world, serving over 5 million cups of illy espresso coffee a day. On a global level it employs around 500 people.

illy buys green coffee directly from the growers of the highest quality Arabica through partnerships based on the mutual creation of value. The Trieste-based company fosters long-term collaborations with the world’s best coffee growers — in Brazil, Central America, India and Africa — providing know-how and technology and offering above-market prices.

Coffeelab Pvt Ltd, a laboratory for evaluating the technical nuances in Indian coffee, was set up in 1997. This laboratory, the first of its kind set up in the private sector, uses the time-tested techniques of visual and organoleptic evaluation for the quality analysis of Indian coffee. The laboratory is headed by Menon and assisted by Renuka Gangadhar, both technical experts in coffee. The two officials have handled the quality control and quality assurance for Indian coffee for more than 20 years.

Menon is one of Asia’s recognised Coffee cuppers. As director quality control at the Coffee Board until 1995, she was instrumental in standardising the quality specifications for Indian coffee, and also helped in developing several speciality coffees such as Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold (MNEB), Robusta Kaapi Royale and Butter Cup Bold, which are now occupying centre stage in Indian coffee marketing.