Coffee – Bugkalot Coffee Company

Planting Process

Since the last post, we’ve been moving quickly with the planting process. Here are some photos showing the various activities involved:

There are four varieties of coffee – Arabica, Liberica (or Barako), Excelsa, and Robusta. Robusta is the primary variety used in instant coffee (~70% cheaper than Arabica), though other varieties are also blended in, in some cases. Coffee cherries are produced 8-9 months after the tree flowers. The cherries are picked (strip picked or selectivelyContinue reading “Coffee Growing At A Glance”

Supply & Demand

With a population of 100 million people, the Philippines consumes some 60,000,000 kg of coffee every year, and has a potential to double this demand to 120,000,000 kg within five years with proper investment in promotion and advertising. In contrast, according to the Bureau of Agriculture Statics (BAS), the Philippines is currently producing only 31,000,000Continue reading “Supply & Demand”

Prime Location

The Philippines falls right within the ‘coffee belt’, the latitudes in which all coffee plants are grown between the Tropics of Cancer & Capricorn. Coffee trees thrive in mountain climates and the best coffee, Coffea arabica, grows best at higher elevations. Located in the highlands of the Sierra Madre mountain range of northern Luzon, Philippines,Continue reading “Prime Location”