Expocacer reveals the best coffees of the 2024-25 harvest

The Cerrado Coffee Growers' Cooperative (Expocacer) has just announced the winners of its Champions Stage, during a special reveal ceremony held in Patrocínio, Minas Gerais (MG). The event was hosted by Mário Freitas, with the participation of cooperative members, advisors, employees, representatives of coffee entities, business partners and special guests of Expocacer.

The Expocacer Champions Stage is part of one of the phases of the 12th Cerrado Mineiro Region Award, in which 6 cooperatives that are also part of the Cerrado Mineiro Region System (RCM) are participating. During the opening of the event, Fernando Nogues Beloni, Chairman of the Expocacer Board of Directors, highlighted the challenges of the harvest and the importance of the Stage for coffee growers in the region to promote the work and coffees of the region's producers.

“We are very proud of the quality of the coffees submitted by our members for this competition. Even after going through a harvest with as many challenges as the 2024 harvest, we broke another record with 217 samples submitted. To meet this demand and provide a good service to the members and customers of the cooperative, we inaugurated a new machinery for preparing specialty coffees, restructured the specialty coffee department, and expanded our team of coffee specialists and sales team,” highlights Beloni.

The ceremony was marked by a tribute to the cooperative members participating in the Expocacer Essências Program, a project to encourage and support the production of sustainable specialty coffees for small and medium-sized producers who do not yet produce quality coffees on their properties.

To celebrate the work of these coffee growers, the cooperative presented all members of 2023 and 2024 with certificates, in recognition of the important work carried out. The certificates were presented by Karina Seibt, ambassador of the program, and by Q-Graders Rosângela Soares and Marco Antônio de Castro, who accompanied and advised the cooperative members on their farms.

On the occasion, the President of the Federation of Coffee Growers of Cerrado, Glaucio de Castro, and the Executive Director of the Brazilian Association of Specialty Coffees (BSCA) highlighted the importance of events such as the Stage for the promotion of Brazilian specialty coffees, especially from Cerrado Mineiro.

For the Expocacer Champions Stage, the cooperative received samples of coffees from the three competing categories: Peeled Cherry, Natural and Induced Fermentation.

Expocacer Champions

In yet another surprising edition, the revelation of the champions of the Expocacer Stage, presented well-known names and new producers to the competition.

The winning coffees were presented without their respective notes, with only the sensory characteristics presented by the Specialty Coffee Manager at Expocacer, Sandra Moraes.

Among the winners were cooperatives that have already made history in the world of specialty coffees, such as the Nunes Family, which in 2017 broke the world record for the most expensive coffee in the world at the Cup of Excellence.

Producer Lislane Parro was crowned among the champions in her first coffee quality competition, placing third in the Natural category. She is part of the team of coffee growers who joined the Expocacer Essences Program, an initiative that provides personalized instruction and encouragement for the production of specialty coffees for producers who do not yet work on quality on their properties.

Check out the names of the Expocacer Stage Champions by category below:

Category Induced Fermentation

1st Place - Danilo Barbosa

2nd Place - Beatriz Ap. de Souza Guimarães and Others

3rd Place - Osmar Pereira Nunes Junior

Natural Category

1st Place - Alexandre Alexandrini

2nd Place - Jorge Fernando Naimeg

3rd Place - Lislane Abadia Parro

Peeled Cherry Category

1st Place - Beloni Agropecuaria Ltda.

2nd Place - Fernando Nogues Beloni

3rd Place - Adriana Nogues Beloni

Coffee Maker Awards

A moment as eagerly awaited as the announcement of the champions, the traditional Coffee Maker awards highlighted the important work carried out by the employee and/or team responsible for the quality of the lots of coffees awarded first place in each category.

In recognition, a medal was given to the farm employees, in addition to a cash bonus.

Check out the award-winning Coffee Makers below:

Deyvid Oliveira Leandro - Induced Fermentation

Marco Antonio de Castro (Marquinho do Cerrado) - Born

Elesandra Machado Beloni – Peeled Cherry