In the mountainous and rural areas of Guinayangan, Quezon, coffee has long been thriving as a commodity cultivated, traded, and consumed by farmers and locals alike. However, while coffee is already providing a steady stream of income for farmers, mainly through trading, locals envision a more productive coffee industry in their municipality. 

“Karamihan kasi ng aming kape ay pinagbibili sa ibang bayan at probinsya pagkatapos i-harvest. Gusto naming subukang mag-process dito mismo sa bayan para mapataas pa ang halaga nito, makatipid sa hauling ang mga magkakape, at magkaroon kami ng matatawag naming sariling kapeng Guinayangan,” Raquel De Luna, a Guinayangan local, shared.

This dream has been the impetus for the formation of the Guinayangan Coffee Growers Association and Farm Entrepreneurs, Inc. (G-CAFÉ), a small group of coffee farmers and locals in the municipality. To realize their dream, they chipped in to purchase coffee processing equipment and to set up a small shop in the Guinayangan Public Market to process and sell coffee. Eventually, their product has become a staple for locals frequenting the market, from bus drivers totricycle drivers, etc. Not long after, coffee enthusiasts also started to drop by their shop.

“Natuwa po kami dahil tinatangkilik po ng mga taga-dito ‘yung kape namin kahit pwede naman silang magpakulo sa kanilang bahay o magtimpla na lang ng instant coffee. Dahil po dito, mas ginanahan po kami sa aming negosyo at iangat pa ang kalidad ng aming kape,” Raquel De Luna, current president of the G-CAFÉ, shared.

Along the way, members started to learn about coffee varieties, standards, and other information that may help them level up their products and business. This drove them to seek trainings and assistance from various institutions such as the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP). In 2020, they successfully became the proponent group of the DA-PRDP’s coffee processing enterprise subproject, which aims to increase the income of local coffee farmers and improve the coffee industry in Guinayangan and increase the income of coffee farmers.

From the subproject, the G-CAFÉ received a utility van and a coffee processing facility, which is a first in Guinayangan. The utility van helped the G-CAFÉ haul coffee beans from local farmers selling their coffee to them and delivering products to their customers. Meanwhile, the facility helped the group consolidate its operations by housing all its equipment. The facility also has a small shop where they can display their products and serve their freshly brewed coffee, just like they did in their small shop.

“Napakalaking gaan po ang van sa aming hauling dahil po malalayo ang mga farms na pinagkukunan namin ng kape for processing. Mas naproproteksyunan din po sa sira ang mga kape dahil mas mabilis at mas maayos ang pagbyahe sa kanila,” De Luna shared.

“Sa tulong ng facility, mas maayos at mabilis na kaming makakapag-process ng kape dahil sa iisang lugar na lang namin ito gagawin di tulad ng dati na sa iba-iba pang bahay hinahakot, hina-hull, sino-sort, niluluto, ginigiling, at pina-package ang aming kape,” Jeanna Victor, member of G-CAFÉ, added.

The subproject also provided hope for coffee farmers in Guinayangan. Now that G-CAFÉ has the capacity to process more coffee, farmers can sell more coffee to them and eventually, save a lot from hauling costs incurred from trading outside the municipality. Moreover, farmers may also be able to improve their products since the G-CAFÉ can provide them with capability-building activities on coffee production and processing as their suppliers.

“Ngayon ay mas maayos na naming mine-maintain at hinaharvest ang mga kape dahil tinuruan na rin kami ng G-CAFÉ bilang buyers ng aming produkto. Hindi na rin kami nag-aalala kung saan namin ibebenta ang aming produkto dahil may sigurado nang bibili,” Marites Dimapilis, a coffee farmer selling to G-CAFÉ, shared.

With the processing facility in place, providing an ideal environment for their coffee processing, the G-CAFÉ became even more motivated to further their education in coffee production, processing, and food safety standards so that they can sell their products commercially and internationally. The DA-PRDP also gives the group further guidance and assistance to help them manage their organization and business through enterprise assessment, coaching activities, and market linkaging. Recently, they were invited by the DA-PRDP to participate in the Philippine Coffee Expo, where they received trainings and met with other coffee processors and business owners for potential partnerships. 

“Napakalaking pasasalamat po ng G-CAFÉ sa DA-PRDP sa pagsuporta sa amin sa pag-angat ng pagkakape dito sa Guinayangan. Sa paggising po ng industriya ng pagkakape dito sa aming bayan, umaasa po kaming marami pang matutulungang magsasaka at makikilala rin po ang aming kape sa iba pang lugar. Pagsisikapan din po namin na panatilihing gising ang pagkakape dito sa Guinayangan sa pamamagitan ng pagsasaayos at pag-level up pa ng aming negosyo at produkto,” De Luna shared. #

The G-CAFÉ is very much grateful to the DA-PRDP and the local government of Guinayangan for supporting them in realizing their dream of awakening the Guinayangan coffee industry and bringing forth a coffee product they can call their own. In return, they vow to continue to evolve their operations and products for the better and to encourage more people in the locality to believe and engage in their local coffee industry.

To help improve the management of the G-CAFÉ’s coffee processing enterprise, the DA-PRDP visits them to conduct capacity-building activities in financial and business management.

The G-CAFÉ is very proactive when it comes to educating themselves about improving the quality of their coffee. Members who have been capacitated on the endeavor, pass on their learnings to their fellow members and even local coffee farmers.

The G-CAFÉ takes pride in the pureness of their coffee as they source their raw materials locally, hundreds of kilometers away from highly urbanized areas.

The processing facility provided by the DA-PRDP helped the G-CAFÉ consolidate their coffee processing operations in one location. Now they can process their raw materials faster and store their products in a safer place.