After the disappointment of missing out in Guatemala last week, Costa Rica was a chance for me to make up for some hurt pride.

So armed with a larger budget from my Guatemalan savings, I sat back and waited for things to happen. An exiting auction for sure. My initial thought was there was a little bit too much value in the auction, but then I did the maths.

The average price works out at £4.64 compared to the average market price of $1.10 ish and the fair-trade price of $1.26. The number one lot sold for $21.45 that’s 17 times the fair-trade price and 19 times the market price. The lowest priced lot $2.35 double the market price.

I think there have been so many success’s in the cup of excellence and so many record breaking auctions of late, that its easy to loose sight. And to look at an auction on its prices alone is very naive. Many of the coffees we sell on Has Bean have had there relationships started from the cup of excellence competitions (Brazil Fazenda Cachoeira, Brazil Fazenda Santa Terezinha, Guatemala Finca Entre Rios, El Salvador La Fany to name a few).

So we can hope that good prices (and they are good) and good relationships are built.

So what did we win, the number 4 Finca de Licho from the farmer Felipe Aguilera González for which we did have to push the boat out over six times the fair trade price which I think is a good premium. We also won a second, Coopeatenas that came 19th which we paid over double the fair-trade price for. I’m so exited to have two different coffees from this auction and two diverse examples of the finest coffee form Costa Rica.

So we are past the half way stage of auction season. So far I’m happy, ask me last week and I wouldn’t be so sure but Costa Rica has got me exited. El Salvador next week hold a great deal of happy memories for me. A couple of years ago we made a run for the Number one and won it. We paid $16.30 a lb that at the time was a record for El Salvador and considered a fantastic auction. Less us not forget how far we have come and far we have to go.