PHILIPPINES
This nation’s coffee market may be nearing self-sufficiency as it continues to make positive strides toward better quality and production volumes, a knowledgeable coffee trader said recently.
“In the next five years, we see the local coffee industry engrossed with increasing not just the quantity but the bean quality as well,” Michael Harris Conlin, president and c.e.o. of Henry & Sons, told BusinessWorld in October. “There is a current push for expanding our research into coffee planting, harvesting, and processing with the goal of further elevating the flavor and quality of our coffee produce.”
Conlin continued: “The country’s self-sufficiency in coffee is, for us, the ultimate dream, and if we work our hardest, we’re positive it can come to fruition in the nearest possible future.”
Henry & Sons has taken an active role in promoting coffee production in the Philippines. The company started the Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence in 2016 with a goal of improving coffee bean quality standards. The foundation’s programs include Beans Within Reach which pairs farmers with global buyers in the hope the farmers can produce better quality beans. It also started Cup to Seed to finance livelihood programs and post-harvest facilities, and Coffee for Great Minds to provide training and education help for youth.