Raising the bar: Tanudan brews brighter future for local coffee farmers through global-standard quality contest

Tanudan, Kalinga – Strengthening its bid to revive the municipality's once-thriving coffee industry, the Municipality of Tanudan successfully staged its 2nd Quality Coffee Competition, with entries evaluated using internationally recognized coffee grading and cupping standards.

Coffee has long been part of Tanudan's heritage, serving as the primary source of livelihood for many families. For generations, coffee farming enabled parents to send their children to school, making the crop an integral part of the municipality's identity. In recognition of this legacy, Tanudan celebrates its annual Kapi Festival. However, local officials also acknowledged the steady decline in coffee production over the years.

To help restore the industry's vitality and encourage farmers to produce higher-quality beans, the municipal government partnered with coffee experts to conduct its second quality competition anchored on international coffee evaluation standards.

This year's entries were assessed by four certified coffee graders and cuppers: Marietta Claver, Engr. Sunshine Genevive S. Molintas, Diyah Guwen Alejandrino, and Jeffrey Pasikan. Claver, Chairperson of the Board of the Philippines Coffee Guild, served as the head judge.

All coffee samples were coded to ensure an impartial evaluation. Among the entries, three Robusta coffees emerged as the top performers.

Pablito C. Asiw of Sitio Gombowoy, Barangay Pangol, won first place, followed by Eskailyn A. Baggas of Barangay Mabaca in second place and Albina B. Taguitag of Barangay Anggacan in third.

The winners received cash incentives of P20,000, P15,000, and P10,000, respectively, while the other participants were given consolation prizes.

Asiw also received an additional P5,000 after earning the Special Recognition Award for Most Improved Coffee Farm, recognizing his compliance with established coffee farm management standards.

'Product of observations'

During the awarding program, Jeffrey Pasikan, a member of the Kalinga Coffee Council, explained that the municipality's improved quality competition was the result of lessons learned from previous coffee competitions in Tanudan.

"Haan nga bigla nga nag-develop daytoy into a very organized, scientific competition. Ngem nagrugi daytoy babaen kadagiti observations kadagiti previous activities tayo. Ammu yo, kadagiti immuna nga coffee competitions yo, we observed from there. Kasi dagiay immuna nga coffee quality competition yo ket agluto kayo laeng iti kape, then iparaman yo kadagiti agraman, ken dayta ti proseso," he said.

Pasikan explained that those observations were carefully incorporated into the succeeding competitions, resulting in a more organized, scientific, and internationally aligned coffee quality evaluation that encourages farmers to continuously improve the quality of their produce.

The initiative is expected to help Tanudan produce more competitive coffee, increase farmers' income, and strengthen the municipality's reputation as one of Kalinga's emerging sources of premium-quality coffee.