The Tausug coffee culture was known to have started as early as the mid-1800s, when robusta coffee beans were brought to Sulu by a Prussian seafarer named Herman Leopold Schuck. He became a blood brother of Sultan Jamalul Alam, then the ruler of the Sulu Sultanate. Deciding to stay in the Philippines, Schuck built a robusta coffee plantation with 20,000 plants. Soon after, many other locals cultivated the beans until the coffee was given the name “Kahawa Sug,” Tausug for “coffee of Sulu.”

Many ethnic groups in Southeast Asia consume coffee as a custom or even as part of a religious ritual. As for the Tausugs of Sulu, they traditionally partner their coffee with bangbang (snacks) or latal (a platter of native dishes). Hot coffee is usually served with an extra empty cup, allowing the person to pour the coffee back and forth from cup to cup. Although this is done to cool down the coffee, is also brings out the flavor.

Traditional dishes of Sulu

Dennis Coffee Garden in Zamboanga City, known for its Kahawa Sug, also serves a wide variety of local snacks for the locals and the gastronomically curious travelers. Their famous bangbang are the wadjit (purple glutinous rice), daral (crepe with coconut filling), pastil (hand pipes with spicy sauce), and jualan saing (fried bananas with haleya dip. Meanwhile, the dishes in their latal servings are the tiulah itum (beef in roasted coconut broth), utak-utak (fried fish cakes), beef kulma (beef in curry paste), and chicken pianggang (chicken marinated in coconut milk and spices).

Due to concerns of efficient operations and fast service, though, the traditional practice of pouring coffee back and forth from cup to cup is now being practiced at the cafe only upon request and during special occasions. But the practice is here to stay as it is proudly Tausug.

written by Ellen Denise Tutoy / The Ultimate Coffee Guide Vol. XII Iss. 2

“There is value in being part of IWCA PH,” Juan continued. “This is for women, not just in the coffee farms but for women throughout the supply chain. So we also engage processors, roasters and cafe owners who are all women.”

Imelda Dagus of Dennis Coffee Garden―an IWCA PH member since 2013―wholeheartedly agrees with Juan’s vision for IWCA PH. She said, “It has given me inspiration, having met different women who have been successful in the coffee business, be it in retail or roasting. You can easily network with women in the same industry who can help you build your business.”

Imelda Dagus (Photo by Keith Dador)

Apart from the seminars that IWCA PH provides, Dagus is thankful for the connections she has made with the suppliers. Finding suppliers for the many things you need in a big cafe is a challenge as well,” she said. Through the networking opportunities IWCA PH has presented to her, Dagus continues with her mission of “preserving the coffee culture of the Tausug people, and sharing it with the rest of the world.”

For Commune‘s Ros Juan, IWCA PH made her coffee world bigger when she learned about women in big producing countries and meeting women from different parts of the coffee supply chain.

Coffee at Commune (Photo by Ricky Ladia)

She also found inspiration with fellow IWCA-PH member Princess Kumalah Sug Elardo and what she has achieved in her community by “not just uplifting lives of people in her community, but bringing peace.

” The mission is not just to upgrade the quality of coffee, but to use it to uplift the lives of the people in the community.

Sulu Royal Coffee of Princess Kumala (Photo by Keith Dador)

IWCA PH has been actively conducting seminars to support farmers, women leaders, and organizations to access new technologies in coffee and new ways of marketing coffee.

Princess Kumala (Photo by Keith Dador)

IWCA PH’s “Women in Coffee” seminar held in Davao last year tackled a variety of topics such as “Quality Coffee, Empowering Women Through Quality” under Princess Kumala, Programs on Gender discussed by ACDI/VOCA, “An Introduction to Markets” with Ros Juan, as well as “Technical Sessions on Processing and Cupping” with Jennifer Rimando.

“IWCA PH invites women in the coffee sector to become members, so their coffee can not only be sold here, but exported also,” Pacita Juan stated. “That’s why there is something we call women in coffee. Having women in coffee spells the difference in harvesting, sorting, and processing coffee.”

For more information about IWCA PH activities and membership, follow IWCA Philippines Women in Coffee on Facebook.
Email: iwcaphils@gmail.com
Mobile: (0917) 800-1899
www.womenincoffee.org

(article by Marilen Fontanilla)