Written by Zach Ezekiel Klaud Kaniteng
Did you know? 90% of coffee in the Philippines is imported despite the country having perfect climate and conditions to produce their very own beans. With that, Farm to Cup strives and looks forward to letting you experience locally produced, authentically curated, and sustainably grown beans in every delicious sip of their coffee. From planting, harvesting, roasting, and serving local coffee to your cup, Farm to Cup ensures that these actions are always guided by its advocacy and vision for the local coffee industry.
Mr. Eli T. Natividad, owner and founder of Farm to Cup, has thoroughly discussed here what really matters for Farm to Cup as it looks forward to growing, roasting, and brewing more than just your average cup of coffee.
Locally Produced
According to Mr. Natividad, coffee marketed as “Locally Produced” in physical stores or online are actually imported from other countries. With that, Farm to Cup partners with different coffee farms and producers from across the country, encouraging farmers to plant more coffee, harvest better beans, and sell quality produce for their livelihood. From the mountainous lands of Benguet and Mountain Province to the forests and fields of Tarlac, the coffee group targets to reach farmhands from around these areas to uphold this advocacy. Accordingly, the company looks forward to harvesting enough coffee to supply the country’s market demand without having to import more coffee from other countries.
Authentically Curated
Farm to Cup also roasts and shreds their harvested coffee beans on their own. With that, they also send sacks of harvested beans to the farm, barista or brewing, and roasting laboratories. These labs give the signature Farm to Cup roast brew that you can taste in every sip of their coffee. What even makes its coffee brand unique is that the team covers the whole production and value chain of the beans which guarantees the quality and standard of Farm to Cup roasts while training baristas on their site at La Trinidad.
Sustainably Grown
Farm to Cup promotes coffee-based agroforestry with how they raise coffee plants. While this concept is not new in the Philippines, Mr. Natividad and his team are currently reinventing the idea of agroforestry and permaculture to involve local farmers in the creation, expansion, and preservation of the country’s forests by using coffee. At their branch in La Trinidad, Farm to Cup plants coffee in between pine trees around their area.
Guided by these advocacies, Farm to Cup ensures the quality of coffee beans and drinks as promised in their vision, mission, and values. Brewing more than just cups of coffee, Farm to Cup has excellently grown local forests and livelihoods. From striving to localize the supply of coffee in the country to preserving the forests of their locations, the team and its owner surely exceed what is expected from a coffee company.
All of these set that with every sip of Farm to Cup coffee; it certainly tastes more than just your average cup of coffee.