---

tags: [] - coffee/history aliases: - Cup of Excellence 1999 - CoE founding created: 2026-05-10 updated: 2026-05-10

---

1999 - Cup of Excellence Founded

Tags: #coffee/history Aliases: Cup of Excellence 1999, CoE founding Related: George Howell | Cup of Excellence | Specialty Coffee MoC Status: 🌱 Stub

---

Overview

The Cup of Excellence was co-founded in 1999 in Brazil by George Howell and Susie Spindler in collaboration with the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA), establishing the first national quality competition and online auction for specialty coffee lots. It became the most influential quality-discovery and price-premium mechanism in the global specialty market, and has since expanded to over 20 producing countries.

Related Notes

• George Howell
• Cup of Excellence
• Coffee Auctions
• Specialty Coffee MoC

References

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence, Cup of Excellence History

This article is part of All-About-Coffee.com - The comprehensive coffee knowledgebase.

Copyright © Matthew Clairmont 2026