As a coffee drinker, it is exciting that we are able to contribute to  beloved drink and industry. It is a proud moment for our teams to be one of the new generations of coffee farmers in Iloilo who are pushing for quality coffee.

Le Granja Cereza Roja was started by Genevieve Bionat’s father, Edgar, in 2012. He planted Robusta coffee trees in the farm in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo. When he passed away in 2014, Genevieve’s family made sure to continue his legacy project. “We have decided as a family to continue this dream project for our dad, as well as support the community we have built with the farm,” said Genevieve.

CHALLENGES
“Our farm us is only 45 meters above sea level and it is a challenge to grow even Robusta. It’s difficult to find a good water source in the area as we are not near any rivers or irrigation system. With the rain-catchment lagoon in place, we have a steady water supply throughout the year so we can water our plants during the summer months. We also needed shade for the coffee, sow e decided to intercrop our coffee with banana. Fast income was a challenge for us. That is why we planted bananas as intercrop, as this was a staple raw material for our products.”

FRESH IDEAS
“In our farm, we have made our own ‘sorting table’, where our staff can sit down and chat while sorting. We have put holes on the table, and attached a sack per hole, so they can directly slide their good beans into the sack. For the all-weather dryer, we have made a raised structure with drying beds and covered it with UV-treated plastic. We can just open the sides and let direct sunlight dry our cherries. When it rains, we close the sides. No need to put the cherries in a sack or keep them in a bodega.”

FUTURE HARVEST
“I think that it is time for the new generation of farmers to focus on the correct processing of the harvest, to bring added value to the coffee and cacao products and bring in more income for their communities. We open our farm as a demo farm as support for this initiative, through coordination with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry.”

FROM SEED TO CUP
“The Iloilo coffee industry needs a revival, and we are here to share our knowledge and experience with out fellow farmers. Iloilo has a renewed interest in quality coffee, and little, new players are coming in the forefront to provide quality coffee. All players should work together to elevate Iloilo coffee to the next level.”

Criszalyn Casanes

As a coffee farmer, I get excited when we are able to do the right processing techniques. BACOFA hopes to be known as a producer of specialty coffee beans in the country.

Criszalyn Casanes is the current secretary in the Balutakay Coffee Farmers Association (BACOFA). It may be recalled that the BACOFA was founded in May 2013 with 20 coffee farmer members owning smallholder lands in Mount Balutakay, Davao Del Sur. It has now increased to 68 members and strives for quality coffee production, specifically for Arabica green beans.

PLANTING THE SEEDS
“I thought I would be involved in coffee at an early age, since my grandfather had one of the biggest farmlands for coffee before, which he passed on to his children.”

CHALLENGES
“The challenges that I have encountered include knowing the right processing techniques, the proper harvest and post-harvest steps to take, even the right fertilizers to use. To overcome this, I have attended trainings conducted by NGOs and LGUs, to further increase my coffee knowledge.”

FUTURE HARVEST
“I want to be able to share with others the knowledge on proper handling, care and processing of coffee.”

FROM SEED TO CUP
“I believe that the next generation will be important, since they will carry on whatever we have started, with new technology to help them in the future.”

Bea Belardo

Bea Belardo has been exposed to the coffee business early, with Belardo Coffee Enterprises operating as a top exporter for coffee in the 80s. Today, the company is one of the longest running millers and traders in Amadeo, Cavite. Cafe Belardo, a small coffee shop that was established in 2010, has become a destination place in Amadeo.

PLANTING THE SEEDS
“I received my Q Robusta Certificate on November of 2017. I thought that this will be a gateway for me to help farmers and producers get the most out of their crop. During the intensive six-day training and exam, I was able to familiarize myself with the different profiles of local and imported Robustas.”

FRESH IDEAS
“We previously did not cup our inventories. Since I learned how to cup, we made a difference by integrating this procedure within our company. This way, we do not sacrifice the quality of our products just by trusting the suppliers’ judgment of the green beans. We have been more skeptical of the incoming inventories.”

FUTURE HARVEST
“Through a thorough discussion of forum of other processing methods which will eventually be taken into practice, and by cupping, I think the coffee farmers can be well informed of what goes on with the current coffee industry. I want them to realize what they assumed to be a declining coffee industry is in fact the opposite.”

FROM SEED TO CUP
“Always support local. Try to taste coffee from different origin and appreciate the tedious process it has gone through before it reached the cup. There are few cafes that serve Filipino specialty coffee. These few mostly aim to aid small community farmers and micro-lots with their produce. Better yet, learn to brew your own coffee. You’ll start to develop the urge to find more amazing coffee.”

Robert Francisco joined PCBI as its technical consultant in February 2017, to help set up the Coffee Quality Center at Cavite State University for the first Kape Pilipino Green Coffee Quality Competition. Since then he has been busy as its executive director, implementing programs to improve the coffee industry. He received his Q-grader certification in 2015 and has been using his cupping expertise to further improve coffee quality in the country.

COFFEE CUPPING FOR COFFEE PRODUCTIVITY
“Cupping the coffee is evaluating the product in a brew. Knowing the product and the brew will will tell you if the right notes will come out. Cupping will tell how processing was done. Cupping will tell how processing was done. Cupping is very important for both post-processing and post-harvest, to improve quality by changing processing or identifying where the bean is best for.”

“Learn how to cup to understand coffee.” (Robert Francisco, Executive Director, PCBI)

COFFEE QUALITY
“As a philosophy, coffee stakeholders have to know their product. Whether they are certified or not, farmers, cooperative owners and traders should learn to cup and evaluate the coffee they are buying. When standards are elevated, they will no longer buy low-grade coffee. If farmers want to sell, they need to elevate standards.”

OPPORTUNITIES
“The potential quality of coffee in our farms can be competitive with the global standards for quality coffee. Two things can happen: quality improves or quantity increases. If both come about, we can satisfy local consumption and exceed quality standards. If the demand is there, production will continue.”

WHAT’S BREWING?
“I currently see an aggressive trend that has been slowly brewing. And this was seen in Kape Pilipino competition, where the farmers were processing their beans to meet third wave standards. This is a high level of quality, with more scientific techniques being used to come up with beautiful coffee. More local cafés are buying local coffee because of the quality.”

Part of Bohol Coffee and Cacao Growers Association’s mission and vision is support for the children of poor coffee and cacao farmers with a full scholarship in Agriculture Technology. Ed Luardo explains, “We harness the youth by training them as coffee and cacao technicians and agri-entrepreneurs”.

After retiring in 2009, John Edgar Luardo took over the agricultural property left by his parents in Bohol. His quest for a crop that would fit into the non-irrigated farm areas led to coffee. Further collaborations with fellow coffee farmers resulted in the construction of the Coffee and Cacao Training School with its own nursery in Carmen, Bohol. His involvement eventually led to the creation of the Bohol Coffee and Cacao Growers Marketing (BCCGMC), with the help of PCBI and Agricultural Training Institute.

COOPERATIVES FOR COFFEE PRODUCTIVITY
“The first coffee farmers to establish their farms were Dr. Fe Miñoza and Atty. Dionisio Balite. From then our group multiplied exponentially. Currently we have coffee farms in Carmen, Batuan, Bilar, Catigbian, Danao, San Miguel, Dagohoy, Mabini, Ubay, Anda, Talibon, Sierra Bulliones, Guindulman, Pilar and Duero. Coffee production in Bohol has multiplied despite the warthquakes. At least five to seven municipalities in the different districts of Bohol can claim that they have coffee farms already.”

COFFEE EQUALITY
“Through the Pick Red campaign of PCBI, the quality of coffee has improved tremendously. Imposing penalties made on green coffee cherries given to farmers was a bitter pill to swallow. Traders and buyers have to teach the farmers basic quality control, so they can obtain optimum prices for their coffee cherries. Buying fresh berries makes the farmers aware of what the buyer and trader want when they sell their coffee.”

CHALLENGES
“There is a need to create coffee quality technicians. Intensive training of a corps of coffee technicians should be emphasized by related government agencies. Creativity and innovation are needed to identify lucrative markets for the coffee farmers. Processing techniques, packaging, and marketing up the value chain must understood by the coffee farmer organization.

WHAT’S BREWING?
“Much of the varieties planted in Bohol is Robusta. With the help of PCBI, we were able to obtain planting materials of Arabica from Cordillera, Liberica from Joel Lumagbas and Dr. Mojica, and Excelsa from a Batangueño friend. Now we have our four coffee varieties and eventually will be making our very own Bohol Blend coffee, with a highland blend and a coastal blend soon.

“We have our own stories to share. Although these might not attract much attention, we take pride in the improvements that we have accomplished in our Bohol coffee industry.” (John Edgar Luardo, farmer and entrepreneur, Bohol Coffee and Cacao Growers Marketing Cooperative)

Commune started in 2013 as one of the first few independent, third-wave cafés in Manila. Commune still remains proudly Filipino, from its coffee to its menu. Commune serves only 100% Philippine coffee from various farms in the country.

CAFÉS FOR COFFEE PRODUCTIVITY
“When Commune started in 2013, people were asking me why I served only Philippine coffee. I was on a quest to prove that if you knew where to look and if you worked with the farmers to improve the quality of their coffee, you will be amazed by Philippine coffee.”

COFFEE QUALITY
“I see a lot of work ahead of us but I see a lot of hope. Now that the demand for quality coffee is increasing, farmers are also more interested to know what coffee quality is all about. Now, it’s time to level up and work on the quality of the coffee they grow. The demand for quality coffee will definitely serve as an inspiration and motivation for our farmers.”

WHAT’S BREWING?
“We started with retail and focused on the quality of he beverages we produce. We’ve begun roasting our own beans, and we look forward to working closely with the farmers to further improve the quality of the coffee that we source.”

“Enhancing productivity ultimately benefits the farmers because they reap the economic benefits of a superior product.” (Rosario Juan, Chief Extractor of Coffee, Commune Café)

Bea Belardo of Belardo Coffee Enterprises takes pride in the family-owned business that was established when the Philippines became one of the top coffee exporters in the ’80s.

COFFEE TRADING FOR COFFEE PRODUCTIVITY
“The demand for local coffee is still high. Traders help roasters with their supply. As a roaster ourselves, we’ve felt that in the lean season, it will be really hard to source coffee, especially if we haven’t forcasted the demand properly. There are a lot of initiatives now in reviving the coffee industry within the country, and it’s good to know that farmers are working together with these organizations, to up their harvest and quality as well.”

COFFEE QUALITY
“I think productivity and quality should go hand in hand. If we want coffee that has good quality, we should make it known that it’s labor intensive to reach a certain point or grade.”

“Coffee will have premium quality for a premium price.” (Bea Belardo, coffee trader, Belardo Coffee Enterprises and Café Belardo)

OPPORTUNITIES
“I think with extensive education that focuses on producing a potential player for the specialty market, Robusta will not be seen as the inferior variety and a low-cost crop.”

WHAT’S BREWING?
“In 2016, we experimented with producing honey-processed Robusta, which ended up as our entry in the first Kape Pilipino Green Coffee Quality Grading Competition. We were surprised that it gained a score of above 80. It was labor-intensive and took a lot of care for the post-harvest. It’s a good sign that they are making a lot of effort in producing good quality coffee.”