Heritage, Sustainability, and Coffee Drying in the Philippines’ Cordillera mountains

Partnering with the Slow Food Community of Indigenous Youths of the Mountain Province, Daniel and Jaymar set out to create more than just a coffee farm – they aimed to cultivate a thriving ecosystem where heritage, seed preservation, forest conservation, and biodiversity converge.

Daniel grew up on a farm and saw firsthand how things like pesticides or over-farming can affect the health of the planet and the product at hand. Daniel shares, “I grew up assisting my father on our farm, but coffee was never a priority. However, I always harbored a passion for environmental sustainability and the cultural integrity of indigenous peoples.” Jaymar echoes his sentiments.

Daniel and Jaymar understand the problems because of the way they grew up and the unique perspective it provided. “Jaymar and I come from different provinces (Benguet Province and Mountain Province), but there is a similarity in the ecosystems. Monoculture leads to the erosion of cultures. When people embrace the cash mentality, they want a modern way of life.”

From Jaymar’s point of view, “we can see the changing landscapes in our forests. The loss of wildlife. We change our way of living and our value system. It is a social perspective that we want to bring back in coffee production. There is a growing demand for single-origin coffee. If you integrate coffee with a lot of things, lots of other plants can become profitable so that farms are less vulnerable,” Jaymar notes.

In 2021, their vision bore fruit with the inception of the Barlig Rainforest Coffee Project – a pilot farm aimed at promoting coffee cultivation in the rainforest as a shade crop. This was made possible with the involvement of like-minded youths in the community. Despite facing the challenges they remained undeterred.

Presenting their coffee at the Manila Coffee Festival, they received praise for their commitment to sustainable farming practices and innovative approaches to coffee production, for example, their drying techniques.

Proper drying is crucial in coffee production, influencing flavor and quality. During their initial harvest, they experimented with various processing methods, including innovative fermentation techniques inspired by indigenous practices. They focus on traditional methods, even testing drying coffee in forest environments.

Inadequate drying, exacerbated by moisture and rainfall, leads to mold growth and compromised quality. Their pilot harvest suffered from mold due to excessive rain, resulting in bitterness noted by local Q graders. Despite attempts at natural and honey processes, humidity-induced mold remained an issue.

The drying process typically occurs on patios or raised beds, with beans regularly moved to prevent mold and ensure uniform drying.

Mechanical drying offers speed but at the expense of quality and sustainability, thus not commonly used, especially by smallholder farmers. Dry milling involves hulling green coffee to reduce weight before transportation. They don’t use machine dryers. Apart from being very expensive for smallholder farmers, drying plays a huge role in how coffee will taste in the end. The farmers have to rely on what’s available close to them instead.

Daniel and Jaymar are determined to expand their impact, advocating for agroecological principles. Jaymar notes, “If we pilot natural farming and agroforestry on our farm, producing coffee with other vegetables, we can set a precedent by creating a platform for marketing our coffee. People need to see that it is profitable.”

Jaymar emphasizes, “Our region has a rich tradition of household coffee farming, but much of our coffee is consumed as instant coffee. By promoting single-origin Arabica coffee, we aim to elevate our region’s coffee industry and emancipate farmers from intensive farming practices.”

They eagerly anticipate joining the Coffee Coalition, bridging geographical divides, and forging connections that transcend borders. Daniel and Jaymar’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of coffee – a force for change, unity, and sustainability in the Mountain Province, Benguet, and beyond.

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