illycaffe top green coffee buyer

illycaffè, the world's leading roaster of Espresso coffee from Italy, has emerged the single largest buyer of Arabica Plantation A beans from India, having sourced about 35,000 bags (60 kgs each) of green coffee beans from the country in 2005 coffee crop season.

The firm has instituted quality awards to identify growers to source coffee directly for use extensively in their coffee blends.

According to Andrea Illy, chairman and CEO of illycaffè, this year's contest which began in January had reported an increase of over 50 per cent in participation when the contest closed for entries in March and has also managed to penetrate new coffee regions.

The contest saw growers from as far afield as Kodaikanal, Nilgiris, Palanis, Pandarimalai, Dindigul, Pattiveeranpatti, Pollachi (all from Tamil Nadu region), and Raygada (Orissa). Nearly two-thirds of the entries were from new participants.

The Annaparai Estates owned by M C Chandy has won the Fourth India Coffee Quality Prize for Espresso. The company had fielded Yelliemadaloo Estate in Chikmagalur district for the contest.

The second and third prize winners were I J J Rebello's Doddengudda Estate in Mudigere and P N Thyagaraja of Billeshwara Estate in Chikmagalur.