THE CONSCIOUS CUP

How do we make Philippine coffee more sustainable to withstand a rapidly approaching global shortage? Experts like MICHAEL HARRIS CONLIN agree that we must be willing to pay a premium for our own

- MICA TORRES CRUZ

“We are one of the top consumers of coffee, but we’re not efficient at producing it”

The Philippines was once one of the top exports of coffee in the world. In fact, we’ve been producing our beans since the middle of the 18th century. But when Philippine coffee trees got affected by La Roya or Coffee Rust Disease, many of them died, killing the chances of local farmers continuing exportation.

Today, we have recovered from La Roya, but we have become dependent on imported coffee. From 1990 to 2017, the country spent $4.5 billion on imports mainly coming from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. This is ironic, considering we have the ideal climate to grow and cultivate coffee.

“To me, this is really sad. It’s almost like we are not treasuring nature’s gift to us,” says Michael Harris Conlin.

The social entrepreneur and 2019 National Barista winner has been in the coffee industry for half his life. Despite the inclination of coffee-consuming Filipinos to foreign beans, Conlin is optimistic that there can be a shift in people’s mindsets prompted by the presence of foreign coffee spots arriving in the Philippines.

FRESHLY BREWED

Back in the early 2000s, coffee wasn’t a conversational topic says Conlin, although foreign brands have started penetrating the market.

“It’s not like now, when you’re hanging out with your friends, you’re talking about coffee,” he says, adding that people didn’t even know the species of coffee let alone their varieties.