One of CQI’s crucial contributors is the Q Coffee System. CQI states that “Our Q Coffee System has continued to evolve over the years, as we adapt to challenges facing the industry and find innovative ways to expand our common language for quality.

The Q Coffee System for Arabica has single-handedly changed the way buyers communicate with sellers. It is now integrated into the majority of specialty coffee businesses, where most quality control teams have at least one Q Arabica Grader on staff.

When CQI began work on a Robusta program over five years ago, it was met with criticism ans skepticism from the majority of the industry. However, the international standards have been adopted worldwide and continue to be used to expand fine Robusta into the marketplace, creating both a better tasting cup and higher prices for all involved.”

The Ultimate Coffee Guide talks to CQI Q Director Roukiat Delrue about the importance of the Q Coffee System for the coffee sector.

HOW DOES THE Q SYSTEM BENEFIT THE COFFEE INDUSTRY?
“The Q Coffee System is a very complex and complete system. The system relies on Q graders, trained experts in assessing coffee quality, to objectively assess coded samples of which they have no knowledge of, resulting in either a certification for the coffee—Q Coffee if it meets the requirements, or a Technical Report which can give feedback to coffee producers on how to improve quality. As indicated, the Q Grader Program is only one part of this; many people throughout the coffee chain have taken the exam around the world—from coffee producers, baristas, to enthusiastic consumers.”

HOW DOES ONE PREPARE FOR THE Q GRADER EXAM?
“The first and foremost element is cupping, but not just cupping; cupping while using and fully understanding the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Cupping Form. There are also sensory, aromatic, acid and roast level exams, so there are also lots of possible preparations.”

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN Q ARABICA AND Q ROBUSTA GRADERS?
“The main difference is their focus. As the name indicates, Q Arabica focuses on Arabica coffees and Q Robusta on Robusta. It will all depend on where the candidate lives and what his area of work or production or market is. Anyone can benefit from wither. In terms of coffee professionals, they can absolutely benefit from taking both, to better understand the whole supply chain, and not just one part of it.”

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE IN-COUNTRY PARTNER (ICP) IN FACILITATING Q GRADING?
“The role of the ICP is to be the entity that assures that the coffee evaluation is neutral ad objective. They will code the samples and they will call three different Q Graders, which have no ownership or interest in the coffee. Everyone will perform the evaluation without knowing anything about the coffee. The ICP, along with CQI, will review the evaluations and enter them into the system.”

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF CQI’S NEW PROGRAM, Q PROCESSING, FOR THE COFFEE SECTOR?
“Q Processing is a truly great program to tie the cupping and quality evaluation portion to the actual processing that may have impacted it.

It comes in different levels: the first one is a two-day course and can be taught in consuming countries. It’s a great opportunity to expand the knowledge of coffee buyers!

The second one is a professional level and can only be taught in coffee producing countries. It is a very hands-on course, along with deep knowledge of all aspects of processing.”

The full Q Course is a six-day comprehensive in-depth course with three days to calibrate and practice skills, and three days to successfully pass 20 exams, of which some can be retaken during that same course.

AIMING FOR QUALITY
As more Filipinos are getting their Q certifications, there is an optimistic outlook o the direction for Philippine quality coffee. The Q Coffee System has proven that it is able to go beyond just training cuppers and certifying coffee. Together with its ICP, PCBI, CQI will continue to positively impact the local coffee scene.

As CQI has stated, ‘The program has lasting and far-reaching impacts for producing countries. Eventually, and regardless of the form it takes, it leads to better tasting coffee.”

For those interested to take the Q Grader Program, CQI offers courses around the world. Check out the website in the Q program section, under Upcoming Courses. 

In 2016, CQI and the Philippine Coffee Board, Inc. (PCBI) signed an In-Country Partner Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding that establishes a dynamic working relationship for the benefit of the Philippines. Ultimately, the partnership promotes the welfare of coffee producers and the quality of their coffee.

CQI operations director Lisa Conway shares what makes the partnership work and what it means for Filipino coffee farmers.

WHAT MADE PCBI THE RIGHT IN-COUNTRY PARTNER FOR CQI?
“PCBI is in a leadership position to support all coffee quality improvement initiatives for the Philippine coffee sector that can result in improved quality and improved incomes for producers. Their unique position has them working with both the public and private sectors. They assumed a direct role in the planning and execution of the Kape Pilipino Green Coffee Competition and have worked very hard to be a fair and transparent leader in the coffee sector.”

HOW HAS PCBI’S PARTNERSHIP HELPED CQI’S WORK OF HELPING FARMERS THROUGH EDUCATION AND TRAINING?
“Through the partnership, CQI has been able to access coffee producers from all regions of the Philippines and make sure that they are included in quality improvement training, as offered through the MinPACT program.”

WHAT ELSE CAN THE PARTNERSHIP ACCOMPLISH?
“As the global coffee word becomes more aware of the Philippines as a coffee-producing origin of distinction, CQI can continue to work with PCBI on technical trainings, international promotions and spreading knowledge and awareness of international coffee standards and buyer requirements.”

CQI and PCBI have worked together on multiple strategic initiatives including:
2017 Kape Pilipino Green Coffee Quality Competition
“This event is intended to serve the sector and encourage the development for coffee producers. A first-generation inception event that was very well received (78 samples submitted from 15 regions). The winning coffees were represented and promoted at the 2017 Global Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle, Washington, and were presented to an international audience during the Specialty Coffee Association event in a public cupping. This level of marketing opportunities changed the way people talk about Philippine coffee. The conversation was immediately able to focus on producing regions, producing organization, variety, processing method and the personal story behind the coffee.”

Training Q Arabica and Q Robusta Graders
“Coffee knowledge is rapidly increasing via CQI’s cupper training programs and making Q Coffees a reality for Filipino producers and producer groups. The cupping courses have resulted in a net increase in trained Q Arabica Graders, for a total of 32 Q Arabica Graders and ten licensed Q Robusta Graders (started with 0) now vested in the business of grading coffee. Their quality assessment will work to advise coffee producers on how to improve their coffee and eliminate factors that make the quality deteriorate, look outward to markets that will buy coffee based on their quality statements.”

2017 Specialty Global Coffee Expo
“The April cupping event at the Global Specialty Coffee Expo event was extremely successful, with about 20 cuppers (green buyers, roasters, coffee professionals, researchers) actively participating in the cupping session and about 25 observers in the room. There was a high degree of interest in these coffees in general, especially the Robusta coffees―Famer Brothers Coffee and Just Coffee Lab and school remarking on the high level of quality at par with the other fine Robustas. Several companies expressed interest in samples and buying opportunities for both species. The message of ‘quality drives price and interest’ was this event’s educational theme and was not lost on the Philippine group.

MinPACT, or the Mindanao Productivity in Agricultural Commerce and Trade, is a project funded by the US Department of Agriculture and implemented by ACDI/VOCA focused on cacao, coffee, and coconut products. The goal is to increase agricultural productivity and income of small-farm families.

From Edge Davao published on January 12, 2017

President Duterte will sign within this year an executive order that will establish the Philippine coffee brand due to a growing clamor by industry players and stakeholders.

Atty. Lucky Seigfred Balleque, provincial director of the Department of Trade and Industry for Compostela Valley disclosed this on Wednesday during the Habi at Kape media forum at the Abreeza Mall.

Also guesting in the forum, Chief of Party of Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI/VOCA), Thelonious Trimmell said that Philippine coffee was one of the best in the world in terms of quality and one of the largest producers and exporters 1800s and even uplisted in 1950s.

However, he said that in 1990’s to 2000, coffee production was reduced due to price depression in the global market, forcing the local farmers to shift to other crops.

One of the efforts to revitalize the industry is through the Mindanao Productivity in Agriculture Commerce and Trade (MinPACT) project, a project implemented by ACDI/VOCA and funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.

The project aims to increase the income of 10,600 smallholder coffee, cacao, and coconut farmers in Southern, Northern, and Western Mindanao through increased production, productivity, quality, and strengthening the capacity and services of associations, cooperatives and 600 other value chain players.

The MinPACT project also aims to transition the island region from a commercial grade coffee grower to a producer of fine Robusta and specialty Arabica coffees, and help Mindanaoan farmers tap into the global market by increasing their exposure and knowledge to international coffee standards.

Trimmell added, the Coffee Quality Institute and the Philippine Coffee Board Inc. (PCBI), ACDI/VOCA, through the MinPACT project, sponsors beneficiary farmers and value chain partners to study the Q Coffee System, a renowned and internationally–accepted coffee indentification and scoring system that engages the industry at the producer level to identify lots for specialty, at the export/import level by certifying individuals to grade coffees, and at the buyer level to offer a consumer-facing product with the Q mark.

He explains, the system has resulted in greater opportunity for producers to access the premium price in the market and improve their economic viability.

Trimmell said that with their advocacy on educating farmers, buyers and consumers, farmer organizations on specialty coffee, not only the quality of the coffee will improve but also the farmers will have knowledge on proper pricing of their produce to avoid being deceived by buyers who take their lack of information as advantage to buy coffee for a lower price.

Also attending the forum were the four newly-licensed Q graders who underwent the Q Grader Program of MinPact, a comprehensive and rigorous six-day training and exam consist of 20 different intensive courses that test their olfactory and sensory skills and knowledge in coffee cupping and other skills necessary. According to Trimmell, they were the only passers out the 15 participants.

Daniel Byron Pantoja, one of the Q graders said that with the growing awareness of the public to specialty coffee, he sees people getting inspired with the Filipino farmers who now begin to grow quality coffee that could compete to international brands.

GOOD QUALITY. Daniel Byron Pantuja, manager of Coffee for Peace Inc. and a newly licensed quality grader of coffee showed to the members of the media the ingredients he uses and the processes he usually apply in preparing quality coffee. Pantuja graced the regular press conference at the Habi at Kape in Abreeza Mall yesterday. (ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ)

“It’s a domino effect,” he stressed as he said other farmers are now encouraged to grow specialty coffee.

Trimmell also said that coffee shops in the country begin to look for specialty coffee in the local market instead of buying coffee beans from foreign counties, a sign that efforts of the industry players are producing good results.

The competition is supported and sponsored by the Mindanao Productivity in Agriculture Commerce and Trade (MinPACT) project, a project implemented by ACDI/VOCA and funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. KP’s objective is to improve farmer income through increased production, productivity, and quality of coffee, cacao, and coconut.

Since March 2016 the PCBI has been hosting cupping trainings in coordination with the Barista and Coffee Academy of Asia (BCAA) to improve the understanding of farmers, roasters, and retailers on coffee quality. Recently, an Arabica Q or quality exam was held to graduate Filipino Q graders among the attendees of the past courses. PCBI is the In-Country Partner (ICP) of the CQI, the esteemed authority on specialty coffee based in the USA. Specialty coffee is coffee that scores higher than 80 points on a 100-point scale, the scoring is based on 10 attributes and defects of the coffee. The higher the score, the better price it commands in the specialty market.

Farmer associations and cooperatives as well as individual farmers are encouraged to collect five-kilo samples of their best lot of Arabica and or Robusta green beans with a moisture no higher than 11%. These samples, limited to one sample per association, cooperative, or individual farmer, will be cupped in late February by a panel of experts selected by CQI to do the difficult job.

Farmers need to have the volume required for the samples. They are encouraged to retain the quantity of the same coffee in the sample because if it wins, it may fetch a higher price after the competition.

There is also a special category for Liberica and Excelsa coffee varieties which are also found in the Philippines.

Samples will be received by specific State Universities and Colleges, namely Benguet State University, Cavite State University, Mindanao State University, Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology, Sultan Kudarat State University, and by ACDI/VOCA in Davao City. A receiving protocol has been provided to those designated as receivers of coffee samples. Meanwhile, farmers are encouraged to start selectively harvesting and appropriately processing their best green coffee lots for the competition.

International cuppers will be coming from February 27 to March 4 for the cupping exercise. Final results will be announced in early March.

The winning Arabica and Robusta coffees and a representative of the cooperative, association, or the individual farmer who produced them will be sent to the upcoming Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) convention in Seattle, Washington, USA on April 2017. Other coffees that have high scores will also be shared with potential buyers and interested stakeholders during SCAA.

Kape Pilipino Cup Quality Competition Official Rules

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