KORONADAL CITY, SOUTH COTABATO –The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 12 secured total sales of Php 13,625,464 for the six participating coffee micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) of the region after participating in the Manila Coffee Festival.
The Manila Coffee Festival, held last March 2023 in Manila, was organized by the Coffee Heritage Project and participated in by the coffee MSMEs of Region 12 through the Rural Agro-enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID Growth) Project. It is an annual gathering and celebration of Philippine coffee where coffee enthusiasts can enjoy various activities such as latte art workshops, live coffee demonstrations, and insightful discussions about the coffee industry.
Through the RAPID Growth Project, DTI provides assistance to establish strong backward linkages with farmers in the coffee, cacao, coconut, and processed fruits and nuts sectors that will result in higher value-added products, improve market access, and increase the incomes of small farmers and other stakeholders.
Aside from market matching with institutional coffee buyers, one of the highlights of the event was the “Single Origin Bar” – a 20-foot long coffee bar that showcased the best of the best single-origin coffees from around the country through different brewing demonstrations and free tasting sessions.
Heading the Region 12 delegation was Flora Politud-Gabunales, the local trade chief of DTI 12, who said in an interview that the coffee producers and processors of Region 12 are now seeing the importance of observing good agricultural and production practices as these will lead to high-quality coffee, which in turn can fetch a higher selling price, especially among the specialty coffee buyers.
“The Kape Dose Coffee Quality Competition, which was spearheaded by DTI 12, is a recognition of the most flavorful and aromatic coffee of Region 12. Through the competition, we provide an opportunity for coffee farmers to have their coffee assessed by the Q Graders of the Region. Those deemed specialty Arabica and fine Robusta are being marketed as the best coffee of Region 12 and, therefore, are being sold at a premium price,” said Politud-Gabunales. Politud-Gabunales also added that aside from being the number one coffee producer in the country in terms of volume produced, DTI 12, in partnership with other national line agencies, NGOs, and academia, is working to increase the number of coffee farmers who are producing quality coffee to reinforce the claim of Region 12 as the Coffee Capital of the Philippines.” ♦
Date of release: 31 March 2023
