Registration is now open for the 12th edition of the Cerrado Mineiro Region Award, promoted by the Federation of Cerrado Coffee Growers with the support of Sebrae Minas. The initiative aims to value the work of coffee growers in producing excellent coffee, highlighting responsibility and traceability. In addition to recognizing the quality of the region's coffees, the award celebrates the 2024 harvest and highlights the highlights of Cerrado Mineiro on the national scene.
The Award recognizes the best coffees from the 55 municipalities in the region, with a focus on high quality production with Denomination of Origin (DO) and is carried out by the cooperatives Carmocer, Carpec, Coocacer Araguari, Coopadap, Expocacer and MonteCCer, in addition to the seven associations: ACA, Acarpa, Amoca, Appcer, Assocafé, Assogotardo and GRE Café – Araxá Region as supporters.
The Award is divided into three categories: Natural Coffee, Peeled Cherry and Induced Fermentation. Registration can be made until September 6th, via cooperatives and associations that are part of the Federation, located in the hub cities. The regulations are available on the official website (www.cerradomineiro.org/premio). In the previous edition, there were 500 entries and this year's expectation is to surpass that number. Each producer may submit two samples, as long as they are in different categories.
The classification stages include: registration of samples, validation of registration and coding of samples, sensory analysis – classification stage (RCM referees), sensory analysis – ranking (guest referees), cooperative stages, checking of classified lots and awards. As happens every year, the selection of samples will be carried out by a panel of professional judges.
In the regional ranking, the first two places in each category, per cooperative, will be directly classified for the regional stage, together with 24 other producers with the best scores in the general classification. All 60 finalists will compete in the regional stage, where the three best in each category and the three best coffees produced by women will be chosen.
The winners will be awarded R$5.500 for first place, R$3.300 for second and R$2.200 for third. The ceremony to announce the award-winning coffees will be held on November 13th, in Uberlândia.
Juliano Tarabal, executive director of the Federation of Cerrado Coffee Growers, explains that, in this edition, the first and second places in each stage of the cooperatives will go directly to the final awards. To complete the 60 places, another 12 extra places for natural coffees, four more for peeled cherries and another eight for induced fermentation will be made available. “Last year, only the first place in each cooperative qualified. This year, we adjusted it to include the top two places from each co-op. This is the main project that the Federation develops, as it promotes, recognizes and encourages the quality of coffee that takes our Region and farms to the whole world. Let's participate and celebrate the harvest, because the award is also a celebration. Regardless of the challenges that arise, we will always overcome them", says Tarabal.
The Prize's business model will be carried out in three modalities: Solidarity Auction, Online Auction and Internal Market Reserve.
At the Solidarity Auction, nine of the 60 ranked lots will be sold in person during the awards ceremony. Of the amount raised, 50% will be donated to Hospital do Amor de Patrocínio and to the winning projects of the Escola de Attitude Trophy. In 2023, the solidarity auction raised R$243 thousand.
In the Online Auction, nine of the 60 ranked lots will also be sold through a digital platform, in December. The samples will be distributed to buyers around the world before the auction, who will be able to place bids. The goal is to reach xxxxx buyers.
The third part of the batch goes to the Market Reserve, intended to stimulate domestic consumption, aimed at cafeterias and roasters in Brazil.
The Women of Attitude Trophy recognizes the fundamental role of women in coffee production, rewarding the first placed in each category. The sample can be registered in the name of the coffee farmer, even if the farm is not registered in her name. All you need to do is prove your relationship with the producer, whether as a wife, daughter, sister or other degree of kinship.
The Sustainable Attitude Trophy encourages sustainability, rewarding projects with good agricultural and socio-environmental practices from the 60 finalists.
The School of Attitude Trophy Recognizes projects that promote social transformation and commitment to education, valuing innovative initiatives from regional schools. Registration must be made via cooperatives, taking into account the municipalities they cover.
"Having your name on the Award list already makes a big difference, both in terms of marketing and in publicizing the quality of Cerrado Mineiro. The competition exists to show that we have high quality coffee in Brazil, comparable to those in other regions. This shows that we produce fine coffee of an excellent standard, without losing out to other origins," says coffee grower Deyvid Oliveira Leandro, first place in the Induced Fermentation category in the 2023 edition.
"The RCM Award is a revelation of new talents. It is important to believe in our coffee, the terroir and the competition, which offers an opportunity and an open space for connections. We have a very privileged region, which is the Cerrado Mineiro," highlights the coffee grower Isabel Carvalho, winner in the Natural category in the 11th edition.
The Cerrado Mineiro Region covers 55 municipalities and a cultivated area of approximately 234 thousand hectares, producing an average of six million 60 kg bags per year. This volume represents 25,4% of coffee production in Minas Gerais and 12,7% of national production.
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