The linkage and partnership among coffee stakeholders which was built through the convergence initiative led to stronger support for the coffee industry.

A series of training activities is now being conducted in the course of two months after DA-PRDP turned over P1.2 million to DTI XI in support of the project on “Coffee Advancement for Productivity and Industry Development in the Province of Davao Oriental”.

Recently, a four-day coffee training was held at the Barista and Coffee Academy of Asia (BCAA) in Davao City on December 5-8, 2022.

The training with BCAA also aims to support plans for coffee investments and programs in Davao Oriental such as the future establishment of a food processing innovation center, institutionalization Coffee Production TESDA NC2 course and coffee laboratory.

Once established, the center will provide more opportunities to those who aspire to become baristas and open their own coffee shops, creating more job opportunities and a sure market for coffee farmers in the Province.

It was a great opportunity for the participants who were technical personnel from the PAGRO, DOST, TESDA, DOrSU, farmer groups, and coffee enterprises of Davao Oriental to be trained by the first and only educational institution that operates three Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Premier Training Campuses in Manila, Davao and Iloilo.

The four-day training covered greengrading, coffee beans roasting, cupping, and brewing. The training aims to produce more coffee experts that could lift up the quality of coffee in Davao Oriental. It would also increase the awareness and appreciation of specialty coffee which would theb lead to an increase in consumer demand in the future.

Prior to this training, DA-PRDP and DTI also partnered with ACDI/VOCA-PhilCAFE on the training on coffee nursery and farm establishment last November 14-15, 2022 in Tarragona, Davao Oriental.

Watch out for more collaborations being brewed by DA-PRDP, DTI and BCAA are for coffee farmers in Davao Oriental.

This training is funded under the European Co-Financing Grant  which aims to boost the coffee industry in Davao Region. (Joy Montecalvo, PSO Min| Photos by DTI XI)