Benguet-grown Arabica coffee to be sold worldwide by Canadian company

MANILA, Philippines - Coffee produced from the Philippines’ northern highlands will soon be sold around the world by a Canadian company, local officials said. An agreement between Canada’s Rocky Mountain Café and the Kibungan, Benguet local government are set to be signed next week, helping the company increase its production by purchasing coffee grown by resident farmers. Kibungan, also known for growing varieties of red and white rice, produces four tons of coffee per year, town mayor Benito Siadto said. Produce is harvested from 2,700 coffee trees in a 20-hectare area. Almost 80 percent of the Kibungan’s land area is devoted to agriculture with a total land area of 20,000 hectares subdivided into seven barangays of Badeo, Lubo, Madaymen, Poblacion, Palina, Sappat and Tacadang. Nearly all households dedicate half a hectare for backyard farming in Kibungan. Rocky Mountain Cafe is a Canadian coffee company that offers coffee services all over the world. Inspired by the Canadian Rocky Mountain, Rocky Mountain Cafe offers coffee products with full respect of the environment to coffee connoisseurs who look for an authentic coffee experience without compromising quality. Franchises in Manila will soon be using Kibungan coffee to be packaged as “Kibungan pure Arabica Coffee." The company initially intended to rent a 20 hectare land area and employ local farmers to produce coffee to meet demand for the highland variety. Coffee production is expected to improve lives of Kibungan folk, offering alternative sources of livelihood for farmers who have been forced to plant marijuana, which is illegal. Twenty farmers have also become beneficiaries of a P1.5 million grant that enabled them to start coffee plantations in their backyards. - GMANews.TV