Coffee organically grown inside the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park is now available for those who prefer their every cup to come from chemical-free and select coffee cherries.     

The Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation yesterday launched the Negros Island Rainforest Coffee produced by farmers from three upland communities of La Castellana, La Carlota and E.B. Magalona towns at a forum of the 3rd Organic Farmers’ Festival held at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol.

The coffee introduced yesterday came from a rainforest plantation in La Castellana cultivated by about 200 farmers who belong to the Sag-ang Organic Coffee Producers Association headed by Angelvic Labrador.

“We grow our coffee based on the organic standards we learned from NISARD,” Labrador said. 

He also said they brought an initial four tons of robusta green beans to NISARD where it is roasted using a computerized machine, and packed for distribution.   

Labrador said their association, SOCPA, has established a marketing scheme with NISARD to find a local market for their organic produce and eventually an export market.

The Negros Island Rainforest Coffee, packed in 250-gram foils, is sold by NISARD at P100 per pack for Regular Blend and P125, for Special Blend. It is available in dark roast, medium dark and medium roast variants. 

Hernanie Mondia, chairman of the La Carlota Organic Coffee Growers Association, said all processes in producing their coffee – from farm to cup – are guided by organic standards.

It is contamination-free and the quality control is assured by our organic inspectors, said Mondia, whose association in Brgy. Yubo comprised of also about 200 farmers mostly rely on coffee production as their main source of livelihood.

Mondia said the assistance of NISARD, which begin started in November last year, helped revitalized coffee production in their area, a traditional coffee-producing hinterland community.

He said through their marketing scheme with NISARD, they are able to establish a support price. “Even if the price goes up or down, we will stick to that price to protect the farmers,” he said.

Mondia said that, in the conventional marketing system, it is the middlemen who dictate the price.     

“I appeal to our fellow Negrenses to patronize the Negros Rainforest Coffee. For every cup of coffee you drink, you are helping the poor farmers,” Mondia said. 

NISARD consultant Robert Gasparillo said the production of Negros Island Rainforest Coffee is “traceable from farm to cup” – from the mountain community where it is grown to the handpicking, sorting, drying, roasting and packaging.

This is possible because the internal control system requires the documentation of farmer and farm data and product flow control.

You can know even the name of the farmer who handpicked the coffee cherries where your coffee came from, Gasparillo said.*NLG

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