OUR COFFEE HERITAGE:

COFFEE'S RICH HISTORY IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippines is one of the few countries currently producing the four varieties of commercially-
viable Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa. Philippine Liberica is known locally as Barako/Baraco, a
coffee bean that produces a distinctively robust and powerful cup. The bigger cherries and beans are a
staple in the Philippine coffee scene, primarily grown in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite.

The story of Philippine coffee is akin to a rich and aromatic brew, blending myth with historical
facts and presenting a colorful journey dating back to the 1700’s. One famous myth relates how a
Franciscan monk brought three gantas (approximately 2 kilos in weight) of Arabica beans to the country,
planting them in his garden after which the coffee trees were transplanted to other areas in the central
island of Luzon.

While there is a lack of historical data tracing the actual details of when coffee first came to the
country, it has been surmised that Arab traders or Muslim settlers may have brought the beans during
their trade routes or pilgrimages.

By the 1800s, coffee trees were already found in the northern city of Lipa, Batangas and the
province of Bulacan. Its propagation was encouraged by Augustinian friars, who furthered the care and
cultivation for these trees.

Coffee plantations flourished under Spanish colonial rule. As documented in the book Twenty
Years in the Philippines, Paul Proust de La Gironiere recounted his agricultural efforts, that included coffee
cultivation. In 1828, the Spanish Real Sociedad Economica de Amigos del Pais de Pilipinas, offered a prize
to any one who would plant and ripen sixty thousand square feet of coffee (equivalent to 6,000 coffee
trees). M. de La Gironiere transformed his property in Jala Jala, Rizal into a fertile plantation and won the
prize of a thousand pesos. His agricultural efforts encouraged other Spaniards to follow suit and increased
the cultivation of coffee.
 By the mid-1850s, Batangas was exporting to America and Australia. When the Suez Canal
opened, a new export market opened in Europe that included Spain, France and Great Britain. In 1876,
the first Liberica coffee seedlings were planted in Amadeo, Cavite, although Batangas still reigned as the
primary coffee producer at this time.

By 1886, the Philippines was reputed to be the fourth largest exporter of coffee beans. A steep
rise in coffee prices and coffee scarcity afforded Lipa a price advantage. When the coffee rust hit Brazil,
Africa, and Java, it became the only source of coffee beans worldwide.

The glory days of the Philippine coffee industry lasted until 1889, when insect infestation and a
wave of pest and diseases prompted wealthy land-owners to transform their coffee plantations to
sugarcane fields. When coffee rust hit in 1891, the remaining Lipa coffee farmers abandoned this crop
and shifted to alternative agricultural products.

Since Batangas was a major producer of coffee, this greatly affected national coffee production.
In two years, coffee production was reduced to 1/6th its original amount. By then, Brazil had regained its
position as the world's leading producer of coffee.

During the 1950s, the Philippine government, with the help of the Americans, brought in a more
resistant variety of coffee. It was also then that instant coffee was being produced commercially, thus
increasing the demand for beans. Because of favorable market conditions, many farmers went back to
growing coffee in the 1960s. The sudden proliferation of coffee farms resulted in a surplus of beans around
the world, and for a while importation of coffee was banned in order to protect local coffee producers.

When Brazil was hit by a frost in the 1970's, world market coffee prices soared. The Philippines
officially became a member of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) in 1980.
 Support for coffee production was scarce until the establishment of the Philippine Coffee Board
Inc. (PCBI) in 2002. This was a private sector-led group initially formed as the National Coffee Development
Board to improve coffee output. PCBI members include the vast spectrum of the coffee sector from
growers, millers, roasters, retailers, local government to agricultural credit.

Since its establishment, PCBI has conducted several events a year including farming courses,
coffee shop seminars, trade shows, farm tours and an annual Coffee Summit that continue its
commitment to educate and inspire coffee farmers across the archipelago. In 2011, PCBI was invited to
be a member of the ASEAN Coffee Federation. It also became the In-country partner (ICP) for the Coffee
Quality Institute in 2016.

With its archipelagic nature and tropical weather, the Philippines combines climactic and soil
conditions from lowlands to mountainous regions that are ideal for all four varieties. Coffee trees can be
found in the three main islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The general harvest season lasts from
October to March.