Everywhere we go, it's always a warm welcome at gatherings with old and new friends in our global specialty coffee community.
It was just like this at the Philippine Coffee Expo last June 2 to 4, 2023 and our Manila and Cebu spinoff events in the couple of days that followed.
Look back at the highlights with us.
June 2-3 found us delighting in the community’s reception at the Philippine Coffee Expo as we proudly represented the coffees of our trusted, long-time producing partners Daye Bensa Coffee, Savage Coffees, Lamastus Coffee Estates, Baho Coffee, Volcan Azul, as well as our new partners EDN Ethiopia Coffee Exporter and Elto Coffee.
We had these exceptional coffees on rotation and practically on tap at the bar, to make sure everyone who stopped by would have a chance to taste them!
June 3 saw us orchestrate a bustling public cupping session — led by our co-founders Frederick Bejo and Dave Peralta — perhaps the first of its kind in the country, simultaneously featuring seven origin countries — Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia — and an array of varieties and processing methods.
This allowed us to happily acquaint a cupping room teeming with specialty coffee enthusiasts and professionals with the range of flavor possibilities they can explore and enjoy through Archers.
On the same day too, our David Disuanco shared his insights on the future of coffee shops and what it could mean for all of us working in the specialty coffee industry.
June 4, our co-founder and green coffee buyer Frederick Bejo took part in the Roasters & Producers Forum. It was a hearty discussion among experts focused on ways to enhance and deepen the relationships among producers, roasters, and consumers for the better benefit of all players in the specialty coffee value chain.
It was also an opportunity for him to share experience-based knowledge about farm practices that could propel Philippine coffee quality to the next level.
June 5 morning, Yardstick Coffee hosted us as we showcased Archers coffee capsules along with Savage Coffees' pods brewed with the Drink Morning Machine.
That afternoon, we traveled north of the metro to Crema & Cream Coffee Roasters, our partner for the first edition of 'Uncovering the Flavors of Ethiopia,' an abbreviated version of the March 2023 private cupping at our roastery in Sharjah, which had showcased the full range of coffees processed during the first run of our Q Processing 2 Professional in Sidama Bensa last January 2023. (Huge thanks to Iya Forbes for the photos!)
It was a private cupping session featuring one Ethiopian coffee variety from Daye Bensa Coffee's Gatta Farm that went through ten different processing methods carried out by then aspiring CQI Q Processing Level 2 Professionals last January. This session was led by Dave Peralta, Archers Co-founder and Head of Education, with Frederick Bejo, Co-founder, Head of Operations and Green Coffee Buyer, enriching the discussion with insights as well.
After taking a breather, we headed to Cebu for the second edition of our Ethiopian private cupping on June 7, this time with Current Coffee Roasters.
We were thrilled by the massive enthusiasm of all our Manila and Cebu friends, whose engaging questions enlivened and enriched our cupping sessions. We are so thankful to everyone who joined us and made our visit such an unforgettable specialty coffee community experience.
And we are immensely grateful to Sanremo PH, Timemore PH, Philippine Coffee Guild, Philippine Coffee EXPO, Crema & Cream Coffee Roasters, Stream Coffee PH, and Current Coffee Roasters for their unwavering support. Their efforts played a crucial role in the success of our brief, yet jam-packed, stint in the Philippines! Here’s hoping for more collaborations in the future!
We saw so clearly during our visit how the specialty coffee culture in the Philippines is steadily growing, as more of our friends are becoming increasingly interested, even invested — venturing beyond coffee brewing and delving into the intricate and promising world of coffee processing.
We deeply appreciate the Philippine specialty coffee community's warm welcome and, obviously, hope for more opportunities to enjoy more amazing coffees together!
Until then!
Written by: Nadine Onate | Photos by: Pauline Disuanco, David Disuanco, Iya Forbes