Negros rainforest coffee sells at P500 per kilo

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines - Native coffee in Negros Occidental, dubbed the rainforest coffee, is now being eyed as the next potential export material of the province. Robert Gasparillo, consultant for Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (Nisard) Foundation -- a group promoting and doing the marketing of Negros' native coffee that abundantly grows in Barangay Sag-ang in La Castellana, Barangay Yubo in La Carlota City, and Barangay Canlusong in E.B. Magalona - reported the issue to the media recently. In a phone interview, Gasparillo said they already launched the Negros rainforest coffee during the 3rd Negros Island Organic Farmers' Festival at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol Building in Bacolod City last April 29. "We are thankful that we have now a lot of orders from our domestic markets," the Nisard consultant disclosed, adding: "Our native coffee here in Negros can compete even with the native coffee being served at the well-known Starbucks coffee houses in Metro Manila." Gasparillo said Nisard is the one doing direct contacts with coffee growers in La Castellana, La Carlota and E.B. Magalona. "We are also responsible for organizing a community of coffee growers, setting a standard of organic coffee production as well as the internal quality control system," he said. Nisard is also the one buying the raw produce of coffee growers at a prevailing price of P2 or P3 plus per kilo. "We are then responsible for the drying, sorting, milling, sorting no. 2, packing, roasting and final packing. After which, we market our organic coffee by selling it at P400 per kilo for the regular blend and P500 per kilo for the special blend," Gasparillo said. Rainforest Coffee is produced sans fertilizer and selectively handpicked, sorted, dried, packed and stored onsite by three farming communities in the mountains of Negros. This agri-business began when farmers brought green Robusta beans to Nisard for processing via the Filipino version of a computerized roaster that could custom-blend coffee.- Sun.Star Bacolod