2011 was a breakthrough year for coffee and for women. What started as a trip to China to explore the exportation of coffee and textiles now becomes an advocacy to cultivate the uniqueness of women and coffee. The kismet meeting of Pacita Juan, President of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) in the Philippines, with… Read More
ASEAN coffee origins have come to the fore since the ASEAN Coffee Federation (ACF) started almost seven years ago. After initial organizational meetings in Singapore and Laos, the annual coffee events Café Asia and THAIFEX have served as ACF’s launching pad for introducing exotic coffee origins of the ASEAN region. “Training the Trainer” courses also… Read More
After attending PCBI’s National Coffee Summit in 2009, I applied what I had learned. Delighted by the fruitful results of my backyard farm, I shared insights and knowledge with my community. Now, thanks to coffee, we enjoy peace and progress—that is my dream for others, too, where women are not of leading, and men are… Read More
“Upi has always been a coffee area,” says Jandatu Salik, a civil engineer turned farmpreneur in Upi, Maguindanao. Upi, at 1,600 feet above sea level, is indeed a perfect place to grow the Robusta and Barako varieties. Jandatu has some coffee trees in his Busikong Organik Farm, and all around his village, there are tall… Read More
With everyone concerned about saving the planet, coffee shop owners play a very important role in using fewer paper cups, paper or foil sachets for sugar, and plastic straws for iced drinks. Here’s how you as a consumer can help your favorite café towards sustainable, planet-friendly operations: Use only washable and reusable cups, mugs or… Read More
More and more Filipino women are sliding behind the coffee counter, and they are causing quite a stir in the global arena. Not only are they holding leadership roles in F&B establishments, they are taking home the biggest trophies in international competitions. These four lady baristas will make you proud to be Filipino and inspire… Read More
If you ask the blue-suited men in the New York and London commodity exchanges, coffee is a commodity that they trade every day and that is the subject to the simple law of supply and demand. That’s what we know determines the global coffee prices. Many factors affect supply: the supply from Brazil may be… Read More
LANDBANK and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) recently launched a financing facility to boost the agriculture sector in and around the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and its neighboring conflict-affected areas, and to help promote lasting peace and development in the region. LANDBANK President and CEO Alex Buenaventura, Office of the Presidential Adviser on… Read More
It is said that the best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. As Philippine Coffee Board, Inc. (PCBI) seeks to inspire unity and participation for the future of Philippine coffee, the board, led by Nicholas Matti and co-chaired by Pacita Juan, has decided to adopt the famous London Coffee Dinner concept to bring… Read More