STiR coffee and tea magazine

46 STiR coffee and tea | 2026 Quarter 1 Spring (Mar/Apr/May) With over 400 locations, Pickup Coffee leveraged digital innovation, smart pricing, and local specialties to become the Philippines' fastest-growing coffee brand. Photo credit: Pickup Coffee The Ilocano people in the northern Philippines use candies called Balikutsa, made from boiled sugarcane molasses, to add a natural caramel flavor to their coffee. Photo credit: Pacita Juan Philippine Coffee Board technical director and Q processing professional, Robert Francisco, shows Benguet Igorot farmers how to check their pulped coffee cherries. Photo credit: Pacita Juan Covid-19 also changed the habits of Filipino coffee drinkers. They started brewing at home, using equipment readily available online. This new habit made coffee trading easier, with hobbyists buying up a farmer's crop rather than consolidating their harvest with others. Farmers can now trade directly, giving them greater freedom to refine cultivation and production methods. Direct trade and social media allow farmers to grow their businesses and at- tach their names to their coffee, making traceability the name of the game. A Diverse and Thriving Coffee Market There are now more coffee shops, especially the convenient kiosk model, pushing cups for less than two dollars. The Philippines has a large population of young call center agents working 24/7, and more regional brands of the kiosk model have arrived from Malaysia (Zu's), Indonesia (Kopi Kenangan), and soon, maybe Luckin from China. The Philippines' own brand Pickup coffee has expanded overseas, even to Mexico, another coffee-producing country. "The development of coffee kiosks represents a major leap for the coffee industry in the Philippines," Gustavo Palacios of Nutresa and OCA said. "The dynamism of these new players, along with evolving consumer preferences, will shape a new era for coffee consumption in the country." On the other end of the spectrum are the new coffee hobbyists and afi- cionados brewing their specialty cups at home or in independent cafés and roaster cafés. These specialty customers want to know the origin, elevation, process method, and flavor notes. For the mass market, instant coffee and 3-in-1 coffee imports remain the gateway to caffeine. From here, consumers head to "ready to brew" coffee drips and then graduate to higher specialty coffee, often more expensive than a cocktail or a full dinner. As a hundred million Filipinos continue to drink more coffee, self-suffi- ciency may remain a distant dream. In the meantime, farmers continue trying to meet the insatiable demands of a nation obsessed with coffee, not tea. Tak- ing pride in the unique and diverse coffee heritage of the Philippines helps farmers earn more money, and celebrating local specialty coffees, such as liberica, heirloom arabica, and Fine Robusta, may be the key to encouraging the planting of more coffee trees.

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