Published Thursday, May 13, 2021

Paya Coffee farmers were recognized with the Sofi ™ Award by the United States Specialty Food Association, SFA.

The SFA is a membership-based trade association founded in 1952 and currently representing more than 3,500 businesses.

The Paya Coffee brand is produced by three people in the Chirripó mountains located in the Heredia Province area. This brand was created in March last year, by the Venezuelan brothers Santiago and Esteban Vidal. Their advantages to develop the business were their family's coffee experience in Venezuela and the quality of Costa Rican coffee, they said.

About 80% of the coffee process by the brothers is produced over 1,600 meters high, which ensures that their product is unique and of quality, they said.

The Sofi ™ Awards recognize the best and most innovative specialized food products, according to Costa Rica's Export Promotion Agency, Procomer.

The award is given in 49 food and beverage categories on a gold and silver scale. This year the organizers incorporated the “New Product” award to recognize a product launched as new between March 1 and October 1, 2020.


Paya Coffee's Dark Roast cafe won in the category of “New Coffee and Chocolate Product.

"For us, winning the Sofi ™ Award for our Dark Roast represents great recognition from the industry for our commitment to having a high-quality product with an excellent taste and fragrance," Santiago Vidal said. "We definitely believe that this helps reinforce the fact that Costa Rica is a country that produces high-quality coffee and means that people not only see it but recognize the great effort of the country to offer the best."

The coffee is already exported to the United States and the Vidal brothers plan to export to Europe and Australia.

For the awards nomination of contestants this year, more than 1,500 products were nominated in the 49 categories, which were evaluated by an anonymous jury that is in charge of sampling taste, appearance, texture, fragrances, quality of ingredients and innovation.

To participate, applicants must be members of the Specialty Food Association and the product must undergo a prior evaluation by Rutgers University in New York, for qualification and approval for the next step.

People interested in support from Procomer to export their products can find more information by calling the agency line (506) 2505 4700.



Last week, Café Tarrazú, a Costa Rican coffee brand,  was protected in hundreds of countriesConsidered one of the best in the world.

The coffee is produced in the Saints zone cantons, and now protected in 180 countries, as determined by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The Saints zone is made up of the cantons of Tarrazú, Dota and León Cortés Castro located in the northwest zone of San José Province, famous for its coffee crops.

WIPO, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations created to promote and protect intellectual property (IP) across the world by cooperating with countries as well as international organizations.

The certificate of protection of intellectual property was recently sent to the Regulatory Council of the Denomination of Origin of Tarrazú Coffee. The document indicates that its name and its emblem can only be used with the respective approval of the Council.


“This document declares the name ‘Café Tarrazú’ protected in around 180 countries that have signed the agreement of the World Intellectual Property Organization," said Roque Mata, president of the Council. "This gives security to the producers of the brand and is protected internationally. "

To obtain the certificate of authenticity, the Rural Development Institute paid about $13,700 to cover the studies, research, and analysis that were required to be carried out to comply with the regulations.

In addition, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, registration was carried out in the European Union, a process following the Paris agreement that protects against unfair competition or misleading information.

Additionally, a building was built where four laboratories will be installed for research, training in coffee production. The building cost approximately $1,236,000 of which about $792,792 was completed with a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank.

Since 1903, coffee has been cultivated in Los Santos. 85.28% of the hectares planted with coffee in the Los Santos area corresponds to "Strictly Hard Bean" type coffee, which is grown between 1,200 and 1,650 meters of altitude and is characterized by its hardness bean.

This is the second certificate that coffee producers in the area have received to protect the authenticity of their products. In 2019, the government granted recognition to the origin and quality of coffee.
 
That recognition of the origin and quality of the coffee produced in the three cantons provides legal security and protection to producers, so the brand can't be used by third parties without authorization.

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What expats do you know who are interested in exporting Costa Rican products?  We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com