Past editions

2016

EIICA AWARD

Best of the Best

Ahmed Legesse from Ethiopia Special mention to Honduras.
No Coffee Lovers’ Choice the first year

THE JURY

Mark Pendergrast (Jury Mentor)

a best-selling American author, Pendergrast is known throughout the coffee community for his books Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World, and Beyond Fair Trade: How One Small Coffee Company Helped Transform a Hillside Village in Thailand.

Peter Giuliano

Giuliano is Chief Research Officer at Specialty Coffee Association, one of coffee’s leading industry associations. He has held nearly every conceivable job in coffee, from roaster to cupper to buyer, and is former co-owner of Counterculture Coffee.

Kerri Goodman

Founder and Publisher of CoffeeTalk magazine, Goodman has more than 20 years of experience in the coffee industry. Beyond her editorial work, Goodman sits on the board of several non-profit coffee organizations.

Corby Kummer

Corby is a senior editor at The Atlantic and executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute. He is the recipient of five James Beard Journalism Awards, including the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award.

Grace Hightower

Grace is an American philanthropist, socialite, actress, and singer. She married Robert De Niro in 1997, and they separated in 2018. As a philanthropist, Hightower launched Grace Hightower & Coffees of Rwanda in 2013 with the mission of improving Rwandan livelihoods by marketing their products internationally.

Suvir Saran

Saran is a Michelin starred chef, cookbook author, educator as well as a farmer who specializes in bringing Indian cooking to the American kitchen. Currently lives on American Masala Farm with his partner Charlie, in Hebron, New York.

Viki Geunes

Vicky is a Belgian Michelin starred chef that, after studying industrial science, he decided to venture into the world of gastronomy as a self-taught chef. Through self-study and iron-clad discipline, Viki Geunes educated himself about the culinary industry, food and all the tips and tricks to becoming an excellent chef.

Luigi Taglienti

Luigi is an Italian Michelin starred chef whose cooking is based on intuition, sensibility and the capacity to assess raw materials and know which technique to use to achieve his idea of the final dish.

Maria Loi

Loi is a Greek food ambassador, author and healthy lifestyle expert. She is a popular TV chef in Greece, and the author of more than 36 cookbooks and 150 magazine editions. She has been recognized as the Global Ambassador of Greek Gastronomy by The Chef’s Club of Greece and has since earned a reputation as the U.S. leader in authentic Greek cuisine.

Adolfo Henrique Vieira Ferreira

Chairman of the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association