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SÃO PAULO, Brazil – The 34th annual Prêmio Ernesto Illy de Qualidade Sustentável do Café para Espresso (Ernesto Illy Award for Sustainable Coffee Quality for Espresso) once again gathered Brazil’s finest Arabica coffee growers for an evening celebrating excellence in coffee production.
This year, the top three honors were claimed by producers from Minas Gerais: Dimas Mendes Bastos (Matas de Minas), Fazenda Sequóia Minas (Chapada de Minas), and Leda Terezinha Castellani Pereira Lima (Sul de Minas). Selected by a panel of illycaffè experts from among 40 finalists, each winner received a R$10,000 prize.
Brazil was the first country where illycaffè established direct collaboration with coffee producers, a pioneering approach initiated by Ernesto Illy to promote quality and sustainability. In 1991, the company launched the Prêmio Ernesto Illy de Qualidade Sustentável do Café para Espresso to identify and reward Brazil’s top growers.
Over time, the award helped shift Brazil’s coffee production focus from quantity to quality. Since its inception, more than 1,500 growers have been recognized, with total prizes exceeding R$8 million.
A decade ago, the initiative expanded internationally, inspiring the creation of the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award. This global recognition honors the highest quality and most sustainable coffees sourced from the regions that contribute to illycaffè’s signature blend.
The three winners of the 34th edition of the Prêmio Ernesto Illy de Qualidade Sustentável do Café para Espresso will go on to represent Brazil at the 10th Ernesto Illy International Award, to be held in Europe in 2025.
The São Paulo ceremony also honored regional award recipients and announced the winner of the Classifier of the Year award, which celebrates the commitment and precision of professionals dedicated to identifying sustainable, high-quality coffee.
