Verdemar hosts the final stage of the Minas Gerais Coffee Quality Competition – Harvest 2023

This Monday (20/11), Verdemar hosted the final stage of the 20th Minas Gerais Coffee Quality Competition, promoted by the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Company of the State of Minas Gerais (Emater-MG). The final tasting, which defined the champion coffees of the competition, 2023 Harvest, was held on the mezzanine of the Sion unit, in Belo Horizonte (MG). 36 samples were evaluated in the Natural Coffee category and 14 samples in the Peeled/Pulped/Demucilated Cherry Coffee category. The grand champions will be revealed at a special event on December 11th.

To bring consumers closer to producers, Verdemar became a partner in the Emater-MG project and, since 2018, started launching a special line of coffees that won the competition. The chain buys the first and second place bags and gives them a special highlight on the shelves of the 16 Verdemar stores, with a special label. “Our goal is to spread culture and appreciation for drinking high-quality coffee. We miners are coffee lovers, but, unfortunately, we are not taught to value specialty coffees. That’s why we’re making this investment in bringing the best grains from Minas Gerais and Brazil to our shelves”, highlighted Alexandre Poni.

This year, the region with the highest number of finalists was Matas de Minas (27), followed by Sul de Minas (18) and Cerrado Mineiro (5). The 2023 contest had 1,563 entries. The coffees were evaluated by a judging panel, made up of specialists in specialty coffees. The samples were subjected to sensory analysis, in accordance with the methodology of the American Specialty Coffee Association (SCAA), observing attributes such as fragrance, aroma, flavor, acidity, body, uniformity, absence of defects, sweetness, finish, balance and evaluation global. All finalists obtained a minimum score of 85 points.

“The competition is a reference in Brazil in terms of discovering new coffees. Due to the reach that Emater-MG has in the state, we go to small properties, where the rarest jewels are found. We managed to bring small producers to this competition. These are coffee growers who, until then, did not have access to quality competitions”, says the state coordinator of Coffee Culture at Emater-MG, Bernardino Cangussu.

The 2023 edition of the Minas Gerais Coffee Quality Contest counts, in addition to Emater-MG, with the participation of the State Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Seapa), Federal University of Lavras (Ufla), Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of the South of Minas and the Foundation for Support to Teaching, Research and Extension (Faepe). The competition is sponsored by Sicoob Crediminas and supported by the Verdemar supermarket.

Emater Credits and Business Communication Interface