Top Philippine Coffee Brands, 3 Are From Mindanao

Philippine Coffee Brands

Filipinos love to drink coffee or let’s say, we are coffee drinkers. Filipino loves to drink branded coffee and it’s part of the morning habit. Our local farmers are doing their part to meet our thirst for coffee but we did not support them. We did not recognize also some of our local Coffee Brands. We hope we will realize our own Philippine Coffee Brands and support our farmers and this coffee industry.

In regions of the country that allow coffee trees to thrive. Our farmers tend to varieties such as Robusta, Arabica, Exelsa, and Liberica (Barako). What the Philippine coffee industry may lack in volume, local farmers and producers try to make up with quality.

If you’re a coffee enthusiast curious about what defines premium local coffee—and if your heart is set on promoting our coffee farmers—here are the best local coffee brands you need to try. In this list of best coffee brands in the Philippines, 3 of these are from Mindanao.

1. Organic Harvest Coffee

   They are one of the best local coffee brands in the Philippines that I tried and they used organic beans for their coffee. You can smell the native aroma of these Philippine organic coffee beans. These organic coffee beans are 100% naturally grown coffee beans, shade-grown, and handpicked by the farmers living in the foothills of Mt. Kanlaon, Negros Occidental. There are so many benefits of Organic Coffee that can give to our bodies that other coffee brands don’t have.

2. Kalsada Coffee

   The beans of Kalsada Coffee are grown in the mountain region of Belis, Benguet in the Cordillera. The coffee drinker lover Carmel Laurino also the founder of Kalsada decided to use her love for coffee to connect to her heritage. Today the Kalsada Coffee brand caters to coffee shops in Seattle, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Manila. The company also pays coffee farmers over 50 pesos (per pound of beans), which is beyond what Fair Trade practices suggest. Belis beans have a vanilla taste and floral aroma and offer notes of cacao, nutmeg, cardamom, and all-spice.

3. Coffee for Peace

   The company is known for the premium quality of its processed beans. Coffee for Peace sources its Arabica beans from Mindanao, particularly from communities with Christian settlers and Indigenous Peoples (IP). Joji Pantoja, the founder, and CEO received an award from President Rodrigo Duterte at the Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneurs 2017. One-quarter of the investors’ net profit is also donated to PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. to support their “agents of peace and reconciliation” in conflict-affected communities.

4. Bo’s Coffee

   Bo’s Coffee is focused on offering a fully homegrown coffee experience, selling beans while also using these to make the beverages in their coffee shops. What sets it apart from other coffee producers is the accessibility it offers from having multiple branches across the country. The company also provides nuanced flavors in a variety of beans, which include Sagada (nutty taste with tobacco notes), Benguet (wine taste with herbal hints), Apo in Davao (earthy taste), and Mt. Matutum in South Cotabato (berry taste with spicy notes).

5. Figures of Beans

   Inspired by the idea of homebrewing, founders KC Boter, and Karen de Guzman opened Figure of Beans. They source their beans from Sagada and Benguet in the Cordillera highlands. The concept of their brand makes their products distinct—the names of their coffee variants are Paradox (Arabica), Oxymoron (Robusta), Irony (dark roast), Euphemism (vanilla), Understatement (hazelnut), and Metaphor (caramel).

6. SGD Coffee

   SGD is a play by the name of Sagada, which is the main source of their coffee beans. Founders Rich and Margaret Watanabe were particular about finding a specific sub-type of Arabica beans called Typica, which they found in the highlands of Cordillera. One of their most recognized variants comes from farmer and coffee producer Goad Sibayan, who is famous for his branded civet coffee, Bana’s Coffee. The Philippine government has also tapped SGD Coffee to represent the Philippines in international coffee conferences.

7. Kape Maria

   Sourced from Cordillera, Cavite, and other parts of Luzon, Kape Maria offers coffee enthusiasts a choice in the strength of their coffee. Founder Julia Sevilla opened this social enterprise in hopes of promoting coffee from local farmers and highlighting the local flavors that coffee trees absorb from the ground.

8. Mount Apo Civet Coffee Inc.

   The highest mountain in the Philippines is Mount Apo where the Civet Coffee beans are produced and grown. With the high elevation and volcanic soil, the highlands of Mt. Apo create an ideal place to grow chemical-free Arabica coffee beans. The brand is perhaps best known for its Civet Coffee variant, which is processed from beans found in the excrement of free-roaming civet cats and then dried, fermented, and thoroughly washed. Their other variant, Altura Coffee, is also branded as “The President’s Coffee.”

9. Monk’s Premium Blend

   – Benedictine Monks cultivate and grow this blend of coffee in the high-altitude Southern Philippine province of Bukidnon. The monks create a special mix of Arabica and Robusta, packaging their product as whole or ground beans. It’s also a main ingredient for the coffee crumble flavor of a recognized ice cream brand in the country. The monks offer retreats at the Monastery of Transfiguration in Bukidnon, where people can also enjoy their homegrown coffee.

Please share if you agree that these are the best Filipino Coffee Brands Around the Philippines. Ping us if you like to include your local coffee brand on his list of the best Filipino coffee brands.

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