The International Coffee Organization Certifying Agency or ICOCA was created as an Ad Hoc office of the then Ministry of Trade under Letter of Instruction (LOI) No. 1095 dated 6 December 1980. This was 27 years ago when the Philippine government became a party signatory in the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) as an exporting member country. It later became an Attached Agency under the International Trade Group (ITG) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through Executive Order (EO) 133 dated February 27, 1987. Presently, ICOCA is a regular Line Agency following its transfer under the DTI’s Office of the Secretary last June 1, 2005.

ICOCA was tasked primarily to oversee the implementation of coffee agreements between the Philippines and other countries and promote Philippine-grown coffee to the global market. In 2001, an additional mandate was given to the ICOCA by the Presidential Task Force on Coffee Rehabilitation - is to improve the quality of Philippine coffee and help revive coffee as a significant high value commodity. This Task Force eventually transformed to a private-sector led National Coffee Development Board, now known as the Philippine Coffee Board.

Today, ICOCA is a one-stop-shop agency that provides support and service to the coffee industry while actively participating in the national effort to revive the coffee industry. It is a lean and mean organization headed by Executive Director Antonio R. Reyes and has three (3) divisions, namely, the Export Management Division, Accreditation and Supervision Division and Marketing Management Division.

MANDATE

MISSION

COMPELLING OBJECTIVES

VISION

A fully rehabilitated coffee industry producing sufficient, high quality coffee for the domestic and export market.

INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENT

The Philippines is a country-signatory to the 2001 International Coffee Agreement (ICA), a UN-recognized multi-lateral agreement among the world’s seventy-five (75) coffee producing and consuming countries. The elite body that implements the ICA, with headquarters in London, UK, is known as the International Coffee Organization (ICO). The Philippines, thru ICOCA, remains a committed member of good standing in this global cooperative effort to sustain the world coffee economy which is a main source of income for most of its producing members.

NETWORKING

The ICOCA networks with other Government Offices (GO) and Non-Government Organizations (NGO) and participates with the Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural and Fishery Council (DA-NAFC) as Vice-Chairman of the Coffee Industry Development Sub-Committee (CIDSC); Secretariat to the Coffee Foundation of the Philippines (COFPI), Specialty Coffee Association of the Philippines (SCAP), and the Philippine Coffee Board (PCB).

As the sole and primary government agency responsible on ICO matters, ICOCA addresses RP concerns on issues and problems of the coffee industry, studies and recommends RP position on matters taken up during the annual meetings of the International Coffee Council (ICC). It also maintains regular high-level contacts with the ICO Headquarters in London and networks with affiliated offices, organizations and bodies in pursuant of ICO systems and regulations pertaining to global coffee trading.

SERVICES

    FRONTLINE

    MARKETING AND PROMOTION

    ACCREDITATION OF COFFEE EXPORTERS

    ISSUANCE OF COFFEE EXPORT CLEARANCE

    ISSUANCE OF COFFEE CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN

    ISSUANCE OF EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE FOR SAMPLE SIZED COFFEE SHIPMENTS

   
Contact Information

Office of the Executive Director
International Coffee Organization Certifying Agency
Penthouse, DTI International Bldg.
375 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City
Tel. No.: (+632) 897.0515
Fax: (+632) 897.0515
E-mail: icoca@dti.gov.ph
               icocadti@yahoo.com.ph

Click here to view Coffee Export Procedure.