The specialty Arabica coffee grown in the foothills of Mt. Apo in Davao del Sur ranked first in the recently conducted green grading and cupping by licensed Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) graders.

In a statement from the Department of Agriculture in Region 11 (DA-11) Wednesday, emerging on top of the country’s best specialty brew are Joe Randy Dubria and his wife Marivic, coffee farmers from Balutakay, Bansalan in Davao del Sur, who garnered a cupping grade of 85.36 and bested around 70 entries nationwide.

The grading was supposedly part of the 2020 Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) but due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the competition was canceled.

Based on Philippine coffee quality standards, coffee beans must have at least a grade of 80 percent to be considered a specialty coffee. The closer to 100 a coffee sample gets, the more likely it will command a higher price and increased demand from specialty roasters.

“Even with the PCQC canceled, DA together with other partner agencies and licensed CQI graders still conducted the grading and cupping of the submitted entries to provide farmers with feedback on their produce. With this, we believe that we can increase the Filipino farmers on improving coffee quality,” DA Undersecretary for High-Value Crops and Rural Credit Evelyn Laviña said.

The Dubria couple attributed their feat to the openness of the Balutakay Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative (BACOFA) members to new technologies in coffee farming, harvesting, and processing.

The cooperative with some 250 members cultivated around 400 hectares of coffee plantation in the foothills of Mt. Apo.

“DA-11 High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) has provided us package of assistance that includes close release fertilizer, pruning shears and saw and processing facilities such as tramline system, dryers, a roasting facility, hauling truck, and mini-storage,” Marivic said.

DA-11 regional executive director Ricardo Oñate Jr. lauded the contribution of the Davao coffee farmers for making it big in the domestic and international markets.

“We are proud and thankful that our farmers have utilized the support given to them to improve their livelihood and the quality of their produce,” he said.

Oñate added that aside from the production and technical support, the DA in the region also made sure of the active participation of the coffee farmers during exhibits for them to showcase their products and establish a linkage among consumers/buyers.

“This is in line with our twin goal of not just Masaganang Ani but also Mataas na Kita,” he added. (PNA)