Tata Coffee does it again!

Wins the 'Flavour of India - Fine cup awards 2003'

New Delhi, May 5, 2003: Tata Coffee repeated last year's performance by winning 11 out of the 36 awards at the 'Flavour of India - Fine Cup Awards 2003', which were announced by the Coffee Board at a ceremony held at the Speciality Coffee Association of America's annual convention at Boston, Massachusetts. Tata Coffee had bagged 11 out of the 40 categories at the awards last year, at the India International Coffee Festival held at Bangalore.

The Board initiated these awards in association with the United Planters' Association of South India in 2002, in order to outline the fine cup in overseas markets, so that Indian growers could capitalize on the interest generated by the competition. Evidently, the Indian cupping competition is being perceived in international circles as a mechanism for identifying the best Indian coffees.

"It's a good idea to have such competitions periodically", says Mr. MH Ashraff, Managing Director, Tata Coffee Limited. "They not only make foreign buyers aware of the quality of Indian coffees, but also act as an incentive to growers to produce quality products, so that they can obtain higher prices compared to terminal rates."

The coffees were selected from a total of 350 entries from all over the coffee growing regions of India by an international jury comprising of prominent roasters, buyers and other coffee experts from the major coffee consuming countries around the world. The jury panel for this year's awards was increased from eight last year to twelve this year, with internationally recognised cuppers at the table, including personalities like Alan Nietlisbach of Volcafe Specialty Coffee, USA, Dr. Basavaraj of the Coffee Board of India, Sunalini Menon of Coffeelab, India, Scott Bennett of HA Bennett & Sons, Australia, Hideo Hayashi of the Hayashi Coffee Inst., Japan, Danny O'Neill of The Roasterie, USA and many others.