Filipino Coffee, please
By Cindy

Coffee? Domestic or imported? Sounds strange? Well, that is one issue that needs urgent attention from us. In the late 1990's, upscale foreign coffee shops entered our country. Since then, it was as if coffee was something new to us because almost everyone, including the young, started drinking coffeee for nothing. But, as a matter of fact, even before these upscale foreign coffee shops penetrated our country, we already had our own coffee shops, which were more popularly known as "kapihan," first coined in 1946. The first known local coffee shop to open was at the Botica Boie in Escolta. Soon, other coffee shops opened as well. These were at the clubhouse of the Manila Overseas Press Club, the Bayview Park Hotel, and the 365 Club at the Manila Intercontinental. These coffee shops, as what was mentioned, were more popularly known as "kapihan" during that time. It was during this time that coffee was associated with serious topics such as politics, since issues of this kind were best discussed "over-a-cup-of-coffee." However, with the advent of less stiff (if I may describe it as such) coffee shops such as Figaro Coffee Company and The Coffee Experience, coffee was given a different sense; that was it was not only for the old but for the young as well, and that it was not only served when discussing issues like politics. The Figaro Coffee Company opened its first store in November 1993, while The Coffee Experience opened its first in February of the same year, which at that time it was known as Coffee X. The Coffee Experience boasts of its being the first ever espresso bar in the Philippines, giving the Filipino coffee drinking culture a new facet. Wits its introduction of the Latte Mocha Granita, people started asking for cold coffee. The notion that coffee should be taken while sitting down was also forgotten with its introduction of take out cups that can be brought anywhere, bringing to light the term "coffee-to-go." The Coffee Experience also changed the Filipino drinking culture by offering Granitas, which were appealing not only to the old but to the young as well. But, most inportantly, it takes pride in serving homegrown coffee beans which are fresher compared to the imported ones. In the same note, the Figaro Coffee Company boasts of serving not only imported beans but local as well, specifically the one which we are really known for, the "Barako." Furthermore, it also takes pride in going international. It recently opened its first international branch in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, which is very near among Filipinos residing there. This is one major breakthrough not only for Figaro but for us Filipinos as well, since this may already signal the start of Philippine coffee conquering the global arena. However, with all these pride-boosting contributions of these local coffee shops in our coffee industry and culture, there are two impediments afflicting the industry - the growing popularity of upscale foreign coffee shops against the local ones, and with this, the extinction of the "Barako," and the loss of homegrown beans against the imported ones.

Ever since the Americans brought in coffee beans from Vrazil and Colombia, our coffe industry has already experienced a gradual death. Not to mention with this of course is the extinction of our very own "Barako" bean. The Philippines annually exports a total volume 1,200 bags of Barako beans, which totals about $0.15 million, and mostly goes to Saudi Arabia. It only grows in three countries all over the world - Ethiopia, Malaysia and Philippines. However, the Barako is already suffering from extinction since our farmers already shifted to planting other crops. Moreover, we now only have about 120,000 hectares of land for coffee crops, down from 200,000 in 1989, which cater to about 60 to 80,000 families. These concerns inspired the creation of the Philippine Coffee Foundation, which main objective is to boost the production of coffee in our country, and make it once more a major dollar earner. Together with the Philippine Coffee Foundation is the Figaro Foundation Corporation which main goal is to save the Barako in particular from extinction. In every Figaro Coffee Company store, Barako brews and beans are being sold. The sales from brewed Barako go to the "Bean-Aid Project," while for every bag of Barako beans sold, a Barako tree is planted. With these efforts, gradually, our industry will regain its long-lost success, and Philippine coffee will attain respect for something whch it can proudly call its own. The other major impediment hurdling our local coffee industry is the entrance of upscale foreign coffee shops in our country, which is, sad to say but are more popular than the local ones. What is more alarming is the fact that these popular foreign coffee shops serve imported beans which is a major factor in the deterioration of our coffee industry. This is another indication of our being colonial-minded, and another result of the so-called globalization. It is sad to note that in our own country, Starbucks Coffee and Seattle's Best Coffee are patronized more than the likes of Figaro Coffee Company and The Coffee Experience . People are already sick of macchiatos and frappes, without having even tasted a single sip of our very own Barako. There is nothing wrong with drinking Starbucks or Seattle's Best , but let us not forget that we also have our own - that is slowly dying.