In support of the USDA-funded Philippine Coffee Advancement and Farm Enterprise (PhilCAFE) project, implemented by ACDI/VOCA, CQI is responsible for connecting international consultants and industry experts with the coffee community in the Philippines. These CQI experts communicate state of the art coffee practices and quality protocols, and provide guidance on coffee training, materials, cupping, production, and post-harvest practices.
Last month, CQI volunteers Dr. Luz Stella Artajo (Q Instructor) and Newerley Gutierrez (Q Arabica Grader and 5th generation coffee producer) served as speakers at the Philippine Coffee Expo and Coffee Mentor Summit. The Expo’s 2000 attendees included a wide range of Philippine stakeholders and producers.
The crowd at the Coffee Mentor Summit was more intimate, with about 200 participants attending representing coffee producing regions throughout the Philippines. Volunteers Luz Stella and Newerley, had the opportunity to engage with the producers and discuss important topics such as coffee production, processing, grading and the need for coffee producers to understand the product they are creating. Luz Stella presented a comparison of different processing methods – noting the differences and similarities between growing trends in the coffee industry and actual scientific approaches for processing high-quality specialty coffee. Newerley had the opportunity to bring his real-life experiences into the discussion as it pertained to coffee farming, processing, and evaluation.
Both volunteers were featured speakers at the Expo. Luz Stella discussed the Latin American Coffee Context, providing a general context of coffee production in Latin America. Newerley talked about his family history in the coffee industry and his path to success. He also provided further information and context to coffee production in Colombia.
CQI had the opportunity to connect industry experts with a thriving coffee community, eager to learn more about coffee production, best practices, standards, and the importance of identifying and improving the quality of coffee to increase income and enter new markets. The Philippines is a country known for its production of Robusta; however, Arabica is growing –therefore education and experts are in demand.
