BENGUET coffee was on display as part of the three varieties of specialty coffee the Philippines showcased in Japan.
Trade and industry Commercial Counselor Dita Angara-Mathay and her team at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Tokyo brought 41 industry stakeholders together to showcase the three varieties of specialty coffee.
The three are Benguet Peaberry Coffee from Benguet Province, Barako from Southern Luzon growers, and Davao del Sur Peaberry from Davao in the South.
“These are rare and exotic coffee beans that we hope will satisfy the discriminating tastes of coffee drinkers on the lookout for specialty coffee,” she said.
“We want to push it in Japan, Asia’s largest coffee market, as a niche gourmet product. We are confident a few Japanese coffee shops will feature it among their small-lot coffee lines,” said Mathay.
Growing worldwide demand for rare and quality coffee has led the local Philippine government to invest in production and sale of coffee from local growers, with the Philippine Coffee Industry Roadmap (PCIR) serving as a guide for the country to boost coffee production for global trade.
Talks between Japanese importers and Philippine coffee exporters have begun, with initial trial orders of 1,000 kilos worth of green coffee beans to smaller batches of specialty roasted coffee beans underway.
