MUMBAI: Tata Coffee, which claims to be Asia's largest coffee producing company, repeated its 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 SCAA's (Speciality Coffee Association of America) Annual Convention at Boston, Massachusetts.

Tata Coffee had bagged 11 out of 40 categories at the Fine Cup Awards last year also at the India International Coffee Festival held at Bangalore.

Coffee Board initiated these awards in association with United Planters' Association of South India (UPASI) in the year 2002, in order to outline the fine cup in overseas markets so that the Indian growers may capitalise on the interest generated by the competition. 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 Tata Coffee MD MH Ashraff was quoted as saying in a release, "They not only make foreign buyers aware of the quality of Indian coffees, but also act as an incentive to growers to produce quality product, 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 the 'Flavour of India - The Fine Cup Awards 2003', was increased from eight last year to twelve this year, again with internationally recognized cuppers at the table. The jury comprised of personalities like Volcafe Speciality Coffee's Alan Nietlisbach; Coffee Board of India's Dr K Basavaraj; Coffeelab India's Sunalini N Menon; HA Bennett & Sons Australia's Scott Bennett; Hideo Hayashi, Hayashi Coffee Inst., Japan's Hideo Hayashi; and Danny O'Neill from The Roasterie, USA, amongst others.