Saudi Sip of Excellence Competition to Recognize Best Brews and Uplift Regional Coffee Sector

The Saudi Coffee Company, wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), launches its second annual Saudi Sip of Excellence Competition in partnership with the global nonprofit, Alliance for Coffee Excellence. 

Designed to educate, empower, and reward coffee farmers from Saudi Arabia’s Southern Region, this year’s competition will give entrants from Jazan, Al Bahah, Muhayil Aseer and  Rijal Almaa a platform to showcase their finest green coffee and brews to a distinguished panel of international judges from Alliance for Coffee Excellence, whose experts hail from leading markets like Brazil, Nicaragua, UK, Canada, Belgium, US, Australia, and Japan. 

Through careful inspection and evaluation of a 25kg sample from each contender over a one-month period, the jury will select 12 total winners from the participating cities. The prizes for the top three positions in each city are: SAR 25,000  for first place, SAR 15,000 for second place and SAR 10,000 for third place. With a total prize pool of SAR 240,000, the competition will also award cash prizes to the fourth and fifth-place winners from each city, encouraging meaningful widespread participation. 

In addition to monetary rewards, the competition connects winners with larger markets through new networks to importers, exporters, auctions, showcases, and outlets. “This year marks a significant expansion for the competition,” said Khalid N. Abu Theeb, CEO of Saudi Coffee Company. “With the involvement of more cities, more farmers, and a greater focus on every aspect of production, we hope events like this will help elevate quality Saudi coffee on the global stage while empowering our local farmers.” 

By helping Saudi farmers reach global industry standards for high quality coffee, the competition supports Saudi Coffee Company’s efforts to empower the wider sector. After careful examination of their crop, farmers can engage with industry experts to receive constructive feedback on factors such as soil and water quality; implementing the right fertilizer; picking and pruning practices; securing tools and infrastructure; obtaining commercial records and licenses; and building out their websites, marketing, packaging, and branding. 

With its focus on improving the quality of Arabica green coffee in the Southern Region, the competition is keen to identify the next great specialty Saudi coffees. For farmers wishing to participate, submission of entry forms and 1kg coffee samples will be open from January 5-9. Selected farmers will be asked to submit a 25kg sample by January 18, 2025. The initial round of phase 2 inspection and evaluation of 40 selected contestants will be completed by January 25. A second round of 20 samples will be further inspected on January 29, and a final round of 12 samples on January 30, with winners announced during the International Coffee Festival.