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‘Coffee for Peace’ enables Filipinos to build peace with coffee


Because at the heart of CFP’s operations is training farmers on coffee processing to develop skills to produce high-quality coffee beans.​ CFP provides knowledge on the market for farmers to understand what consumers want in coffee, and the value of what they do for awareness on fairer trade pricing.

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Photo by Nathan Dumlao from Unsplash.com

What if every Filipino, no matter where they’re based in the country, can be a “force for good” simply by sticking to routine—like, say, enjoying their morning cup of coffee?

Davao-based Coffee for Peace (CFP) proves this can be the case as its CEO and co-founder Felicitas “Joji” B. Pantoja confirms that they are a growing community of farmers and business owners practicing and advocating inclusive development principles in the coffee industry. Social entrepreneurship is their business approach to achieve justice and harmony in society and environment.

“As a reputable processor for good beans and an experienced roastery, CFP means business continuity for business owners but equally: support for farming communities. CFP even gives buyers the option to create their own brand under a MOA where 10% of very kilo sold goes back to farmers,” says J. Pantoja. 

Where does the customer from Luzon or Visayas ordering through the online shop fit into the peace building in Mindanao? “CFP by design allocates 25% of its net profit for its Peace and Reconciliation Teams, composed of volunteers from conflict-affected areas and international volunteers. They are trained in inter-faith dialogue, cross-cultural comms, trauma healing, relief and medical operations,” says J. Pantoja.

Because at the heart of CFP’s operations is training farmers on coffee processing to develop skills to produce high-quality coffee beans.​ CFP provides knowledge on the market for farmers to understand what consumers want in coffee, and the value of what they do for awareness on  fairer trade pricing. “We want farmers to be confident about the business side of farming, understand their market, correctly price and inspire the next generation to be farmpreneurs too,” says J. Pantoja.

Once the training is complete, CFP offers to partner communities post-harvest services at cost such as: coffee pulping, coffee dehulling, and coffee drying. Coffee for Peace also offers to partner-farmers and those who buy from them shared services such as: toll roasting, packaging, label design, and photography. The training result is a higher quality coffee product produced by a community in the Philippines.

Nurturing grassroots ‘farmerpreneurs’

At the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition, the top five awards went to Specialty Arabica coffee farmers from Davao del Sur. For jury member Byron Pantoja, CFP VP for operations, this indicates “farmers taking ownership of their craft as producers of some of the best coffee in the Philippines. We need to give more farmers the freedom, knowledge, and opportunity to innovate their coffee processes based on the demands of the market and the limitations of their land. That sense of ownership over what they do is what’s going to make them the best.”

Nurturing community ‘farmerpreneurs’ and realizing the country’s potential for premium to specialty coffee go hand in hand. J. Pantoja says, “Only 25% of the country’s 111M population is served by Filipino coffee farmers. Local cafes are challenged in sourcing good beans. We partner with DTI on bridging gaps such as training, equipment and drying space but getting to a scale that boosts our national reputation as a good coffee producer will take time. From 2,000 kilos at start, we are now at 32,000 kilos and encouraged to continue.”

Coffee for Peace has trained close to 880 farming families from different parts of our country, representing 13 tribes, including some Muslim areas. “Our model is to create our own competitors by giving them the secrets to making good coffee. We want to groom ‘farmerpreneurs’ who are also skilled in coffee tasting, financial management and conflict resolution. We want barista interns to dream of having their own coffee kiosks. For every kilo of coffee, one can make 140 cups of 6 ounces, and a barista in Davao nets 5K a day with his own coffee cart. The same can be done anywhere in the Philippines. Imagine if every region’s farmers had their own pop-up café or coffee cart, neighborhoods will also be educated to buy local,” says J. Pantoja.

“Premium specialty coffee from the Philippines” requires a mindset change that’s supported by the fact that local coffee has scored 80% special quality standard, points out Pantoja. A member of the National Coffee Council, she spoke about the need to streamline various resources from government policy and services and link these to smallholder farmers. “We want every island to join the national movement within the coffee industry to raise the level of coffee quality. Grassroots farmers also mean less carbon footprint for supplying the coffee locals want. We’ve gone to uplands to help a micro-lot owner assess the possibility of coffee farming. We’ve also linked roasters, who used to order coffee from us, straight to the farming community.”

Photo by Nathan Dumlao from Unsplash.com

Coffee and PH culture

Coffee is innate in the Filipino culture. “When we visit high-conflict communities, coffee served from a palayok is good quality. When I brought a sample to Canada where I used to live, the roasters said there was potential for premium quality to specialty. But we can only produce limited quantities. Opening opportunities for our farmers drove me to collaborate—inspire baristas to educate customers, get roasters to work with traders who source from farmer,” said J. Pantoja.

Operating for 13 years now, Coffee of Peace started with peacebuilding work. “Coffee is the vehicle but the ‘product’ is peace. In our peacebuilding work in Maguindanao, Basilan, and Sulu, we saw that coffee makes Moslem and Christians sit together and dialogue to settle conflict. In our environmental work, we saw that Arabica trees are included in our national greening program. Giving life back to forests also give locals a new, sustainable means of livelihood. I tell farmers: ‘You don’t have to go to the city, the buyers will come to see protected forest.’ We also advise farmers to get to know their customers, then the process follows,” said J. Pantoja.

As a case, Korean buyers came to Davao looking for fine Robusta. Local farmers have since expanded to Robusta. Explains B. Pantoja, “While specialty Arabica has fruity flavors like blueberries and strawberry, fine Robusta has a super smooth, full-bodied chocolatey taste like black tea.”

This distinction in tastes can be a strength of the Philippines as a group of islands since, explains J. Pantoja, we can’t compete with the land mass and harvest volumes of Vietnam, Brazil or Colombia, and we can’t produce for large coffee chains. “Instead, our edge is premium specialty coffee, with micro-lot orders of 1 to 2 tons that are of a quality and fetch a good price. Each island can produce a different taste profile depending on soil and fauna of that area. Arabica alone has 3,500 subvarieties, while Robusta has 2,400 subvarieties. The higher, the elevation, the sweeter the coffee.” The growing community of coffee champions and curiosity of millennials can only drive excitement over developing Philippine variants that are also ‘Just’ coffee of the social-justice kind.

For more information, visit www.coffeeforpeace.com and peacebuilderscommunity.org. Follow Coffee for Peace at www.facebook.com/coffeeforpeace.

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CMIP opens first ever Midea AC Pro Shop to bring air treatment solutions in Central Luzon

Located in Plaridel, Bulacan, the Midea AC Pro Shop introduces “My Professional Cool Idea,” providing high-quality residential air conditioners as well as light commercial air conditioners for the Filipino market.

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Committed to bringing world-class air treatment solutions to Filipinos, Concepcion Midea Incorporated Philippines (CMIP) in partnership with local air-con dealer Wintercool Ref & Aircon Services and Trading, has recently launched its first-ever Midea AC Pro Shop in Central Luzon. This is in pursuit of making user-friendly air-conditioning solutions accessible to the residents and businesses in Bulacan, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija.

Located in Plaridel, Bulacan, the Midea AC Pro Shop introduces “My Professional Cool Idea,” providing high-quality residential air conditioners as well as light commercial air conditioners for the Filipino market. Customers can expect excellent customer service and professional recommendations from CMIP’s experienced sales consultants.

Additionally, with Wintercool’s highly-skilled technicians, the Midea AC Pro Shop guarantees after-sales service and support, so customers need not worry about the installation and maintenance of their appliances.

Present at the grand opening were Concepcion Industrial Corporation and Concepcion Midea Inc. Philippines’ Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Rafael C. Hechanova, Jr.; Anna Marie M. Alejandro, General Manager of CMIP; Albert Wong, Deputy General Manager of CMIP; Alfie Rodriguez, CMIP Sales Director for Commercial & Industrial Solutions Group and Midea Building Technologies; Fides L. Bayot, Marketing Director of CMIP; Jonathan Zeng, Midea RAC Product Marketing Specialist; and Mario Dela Curz and Elvie Dela Cruz, General Manager and Owners of Wintercool Ref & Aircon Services and Trading.

From left: Rafael C. Hechanova, Jr., Concepcion Industrial Corporation and Concepcion Midea Inc. Philippines’ Chief Corporate Affairs Officer; Mario Dela Cruz and Elvie Dela Cruz, General Manager and Owners of Wintercool Ref & Aircon Services and Trading; Anna Marie M. Alejandro, General Manager of CMIP; Albert Wong, Deputy General Manager of CMIP during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Midea AC Pro Shop Opening

“CMIP is constantly growing and evolving, and this time we are proudly making Midea’s top-notch products more accessible to the locals of Central Luzon.  We believe that the opening of our first-ever Midea AC Pro Shop will open more doors for us to reach every Filipino home or business in need of high-quality air treatment solutions,” shared Anna Marie Alejandro, General Manager of CMIP.

As one of the largest manufacturers of home appliances and being a Fortune Global 500 company, Midea has been reinforcing homes and businesses with high-quality, user-friendly appliances for over 10 years in the Philippines. With 28 innovation centers all over the world and a strong commitment to research and development, it goes above and beyond innovation to meet the ever-progressing needs of their consumers.

“We are very grateful to have worked with Wintercool on this project because, not only are they one of our most trusted dealers, their support is truly unwavering since the beginning. We are confident that soon enough we can expand our efforts nationwide to bring Midea’s world-class products closer to many more Filipinos,” said Albert Wong, Deputy General Manager of CMIP.

Wintercool is a prominent local dealer of Midea air-conditioning solutions and a trusted partner of residents in Central Luzon for ventilating, heating, and air-conditioning services.

To stay informed on Midea’s initiatives and products, visit www.midea.com/ph, follow @mideaph on Instagram and on Tiktok @mideaphilippines, subscribe to Midea Philippines Official on YouTube, and like @MideaPhilippines on Facebook.

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Bruno’s Barbers maintains positive outlook for PH barbershop industry

Since January 2019, Bruno’s Barbers has also seen a substantial increase in clients visiting their branches, allowing the company to keep the livelihood of its workforce throughout the pandemic—with about 1,100 barbers and therapists in over 65 barber shops across the country. 

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Bruno’s Barbers recorded a 9-13% growth month-on-month in transactions nationwide in the last 10 months, signaling the returning and growing demand for personal care services from the country’s leading barbershop chain.

Since January 2019, Bruno’s Barbers has also seen a substantial increase in clients visiting their branches, allowing the company to keep the livelihood of its workforce throughout the pandemic—with about 1,100 barbers and therapists in over 65 barber shops across the country. 

“On average we are experiencing strong growth in transactions per month for all our stores in the country,” said Marco Pascual, President, Bruno’s Barbers. “When the pandemic hit, we made sure to maintain our barbers and therapists so they could continue to serve our customers while also continuing our efforts to keep the livelihood of our people.”

“The strong demand for personal care services provided by barbers and therapists allows our company to not just professionalize the barbershop industry but also give them access to competitive livelihood opportunities to provide better for their families. As the company grows, they also grow with us,” Pascual added.

With loyal customers that span generations and an expanding client base, Bruno’s Barbers continuously provides its partners with livelihood opportunities and various programs and initiatives to support their families.

This comes as the country’s personal services industry has evolved into one of the most dynamic and fast-growing, amid the rise in consumers’ spending on self-care and personal wellness services—making up the majority of business establishments operating in the Philippines and accounting for some with the highest number of workers.

“This holiday season, this trend is likely to continue not just for Bruno’s Barbers but also for our colleagues in the personal care services industry as more Filipinos are expected to go to more social events following the lifting of pandemic restrictions,” Pascual shared.

Currently, Bruno’s Barbers is looking to bring in over 200 barbers and therapists on a rolling basis to be part of its team in its barber shop network nationwide.

With a company culture and positive work environment that continues to support its barbers and therapists, Bruno’s Barbers remains at the forefront of the country’s personal services industry as the first-in-mind when it comes to personal grooming in the Philippines, providing an avenue for grooming professionals to cater to the evolving needs and taste of its diverse clientele.

For those interested to be part of Bruno’s Barbers, find out more information on their FacebookIndeedLinkedIn, and website, or get in touch via email at jobs@brunosbarbers.com.

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When in Puerto Galera: Build stronger connections over savory Italian dishes at Il Capo

A gastronomic paradise, Il Capo Smoke Haus serves patrons with rich flavors of Italian cuisine made with a Pinoy twist, from burgers, pasta, and steaks, to a diverse options of hot and cold drinks.

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Along the serene shores of Puerto Galera lies a culinary haven that captivates the palates of locals and tourists alike.

A gastronomic paradise, Il Capo Smoke Haus serves patrons with rich flavors of Italian cuisine made with a Pinoy twist, from burgers, pasta, and steaks, to a diverse options of hot and cold drinks.

Currently headed by the matriarch Maria Corazon Abante Dela Peña, or Maya, Il Capo is a family business that was born from the hard work of Maya’s son Keith Limuel who is a cooking enthusiast.

Settling in Italy with his parents who were overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) then, Keith took a culinary course to personally study the traditional cooking techniques of Italy. Later on, he worked as a kitchen manager in a restaurant and with his knowledge about the ins and outs of food service, he went back to the Philippines to set up his own business.

“Nu’ng umuwi s’ya sa Pilipinas, nag-start na s’ya ng paggawa ng smoked bacon para sa mga turista. Maganda naman ang kita kaya pinagawa na namin itong dalawang palapag na building para sa restaurant,” said Maya, proudly narrating their humble beginnings.

[“When he returned to the Philippines, he began making smoked bacon for tourists. The earnings were good, so we had this two-storey building built for the restaurant.”]

The pandemic temporarily stalled the opening of the business but as the tourism sector started to pick up, Keith captivated taste buds, serving meticulously smoked pork, beef, and sausages through the small booth he put up along the bays of Muelle.

“Nakilala s’ya tapos nung nagkakaroon na ng turista, in-open namin ito last year. Tama naman, nung in-open namin ito, lumalago na ‘yung turismo. Timing na timing. Pagkatapos, nag-start na kami – January 8, 2022,” Maya shared.

[“He started getting recognized, and when tourists started coming, we opened it last year. It was just right when we opened it because tourism was starting to come back again. It was perfect timing. Then, we finally opened on January 8, 2022.”]

One thing to be amazed by the restaurant is its walls donned with vintage wine bottles. Along with their cheesy and meaty burgers on the menu, Il Capo offers authentic Italian wines which the family diligently collected while overseas.

And with all its wares on display, the restaurant has now become a place for customers to take aesthetic Instagrammable pics, connect with friends, and share exciting stories over good food.

But to elevate the dining experience of patrons, Maya equipped the resto with robust connectivity through the country’s leading fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions.

“Napakalaki po ng deperensya sa amin ng internet kasi dati, ‘yung data namin mabilis maubos. Kapag sa internet, lahat kami naka-connect at sa sounds, mas maganda at mas tuloy-tuloy ‘yung Youtube,” Maya said. 

[“Our internet makes a significant difference because before, our data would quickly run out. But if it’s the internet, all of us are connected, and in terms of playing sounds, it’s better and more continuous when we listen on Youtube.”]

“Sa posting naman namin, dati, hindi kami makapaglabas ng ads. Parang bali-balita lang. Pero itong nagkaroon kami ng malakas na internet dahil sa Converge, malawak na po ‘yung nararating ng aming advertisement,” she added.

[“As for our posts, we couldn’t put out ads before. But when we got strong internet because of Converge, our advertisement now reaches a wider audience.”]

Converge offers flexiBIZ, an array of business-grade internet solutions designed for small-scale businesses looking for affordable and reliable connectivity to power up their operations. It features fast, secure, and customizable connectivity, catering to the unique requirements of MSMEs.

It comes in two variations with flexiBIZ Daytime providing businesses with speeds twice as fast during peak operations, and flexiBIZ Peak for a fixed maximum speed consistent throughout the day.

Amid the success of the business, Il Capo’s culinary journey is far from over. Bolstered by the positive reception for its offerings and the support of its customers, the restaurant aspires to introduce pizzas to its menu soon, targeting the metro as its next prime location. Currently, Keith manages another restaurant business named Red Tomato with his wife Jade, co-piloting their branches in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro and San Jose, Occidental Mindoro as Maya supervises the operations of Il Capo in Puerto Galera.

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