STiR coffee and tea magazine

44 STiR coffee and tea | 2026 Quarter 1 Spring (Mar/Apr/May) W PHILIPPINES Malaysia Palawan MANILA Samar Panay Negros Mindoro Mindanao Luzon Philippine Sea South China Sea Sulu Sea Celebes Sea By Pacita Juan The Diverse Heritage of Philippine Coffee hat happens when a country drinks more coffee than it produces? Today, the Philippines consumes over 130,000 metric tons of coffee while produc- ing only a fourth of that volume. It seems like planting more coffee trees would be the simple solution. However, cheaper coffee imports from neighboring ASEAN nations, such as Vietnam and Indonesia, challenge farmgate prices, leaving local farmers with little incentive to increase production. Instead of competing with commodity giants, the Filipino coffee industry has begun celebrating the country's unique and diverse coffee heritage to move the industry forward. Filipinos have been drinking coffee, not tea, since the Spanish came to conquer in the 1500s. Things might have been different had the British arrived instead. Then Mus- lims from Indonesia and Malaysia came through the southern islands, bringing their coffee rituals with them. The Americans, who took over in the 1800s, also brought a love of coffee, particularly instant coffee, in the mid-19th century. Currently four out of five adults drink an average of 2.5 cups a day, proving that coffee is deeply rooted in Filipino culture. Composed of over 7,000 large and small islands, the Philippines straddles the equa- tor and has many mountainous regions suitable for coffee growing. This geographical advantage made the country a major coffee grower and, at one point in the 1700s, a major coffee exporter. Over a hundred tribes of indigenous people living on the hilltops cultivate coffee and drink it daily. Since coffee grows in the highlands where the indigenous people live, they became coffee farmers to supply what they call "personal or household" consumption. Today, the industry faces the challenge of convincing these farmers to expand production beyond their personal needs. Spread across 7,000 islands, coffee production in the Philippines reflects a diverse array of cultures, varietals, and climates united by the nation's deep love for drinking coffee. As chair of the Philippine Coffee Board, vice president of the ASEAN Coffee Federation, and board director of the International Women's Coffee Alliance, Pacita Juan travels the world speaking about Filipino and ASEAN specialty coffee. Photo credit: Philippine Coffee Board The Launch of Liberica The Philippines is one of the few coun- tries that grows multiple coffee varieties. Aside from arabica and robusta, excelsa and liberica are also extensively culti- vated. Popular among locals for its large fruits — some as big as grapes — liberica is grown by many households. Tradition- ally, liberica was reserved for the family's use, while robusta (which has a higher ex- port value) was sold. Some producers would even mix all three together — since liberica grows at the same elevation as robusta and excelsa — and sell them to traders, obscuring the (larger) liberica and excelsa beans. Farm- ers would consolidate their harvests, keep a little for their own use, and sell the rest. Sometime in 2000, a movement called Save the Barako (the local name for li- berica) was launched to identify the trees and separate Barako from robusta. This campaign promised to pay a higher price for the disappearing Coffea liberica species. Suddenly, farmers began distinguish- ing their liberica trees and investing in them to cash in on the prize money be- ing offered. Meanwhile, foreign buyers also came to taste and study this different species, thereby creating demand for the larger bean. "Liberica prices shot up im-

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