Written by: Aiyra Lynn Marzan
“Because I feel like coffee is international,” The young Frenchman’s blue eyes beamed behind his black thin-rimmed glasses as he surveyed our expressions fervently, as if looking for the slightest downward curve of the lip or the faintest burrowing of the forehead as a sign to elaborate further. His name is Sasha, and he’s an International Trade student. As ironic as it may seem to study the value chain of coffee, Sasha was not interested in its consumption.
La Trinidad is a province in Benguet that serves as a melting pot for a lot of Cordilleran ethnicities, especially those whose barrios lie along the winding Halsema highway. Along one of its connecting roads, Pico particularly, beside the Nazarene Children’s School, stands a small yet busy al fresco cafe named “Farm to Cup”.
Amidst its numerous projects and prominent advocacies, Farm to Cup celebrates its people and its partners. It has established a joint project with the Subic Aetas in their efforts to establish agroforestry and give these indigenous people the jobs they need to sustain them in the long run. Moreover, in coordination with Verra Coffee (an authentic Philippine coffee producing company), Farm to Cup also welcomes the presence of persons with disabilities (PWD’s) in the workforce, giving them livelihood opportunities in their bootcamps and their training sessions. Mr. Eli Natividad, the owner, strongly believes that “farming is one thing they can do” despite being vertically challenged. They can perform other activities in coffee production such as sorting out coffee beans, moving 20-kilos sacks of coffee from one place to another, and cleaning coffee plants. “So that speaks for inclusivity,” he finally concluded.
On our visit to Farm to Cup, we met Paulo. He was a deafmute. Yet despite his handicap, he happened to get along fine with the staff and the customers. He walks to and fro from one point of the cafe to another bringing a bright, warm aura along with his smile, which we found was enough to tell us that he was enjoying his work here. We also met Sasha, the French intern mentioned earlier, who sat with us at the table and was happy to discuss his thoughts and journeys during his stay here in the country.
Coffee in the Philippines works like tea in Europe. It breaks the workday schedule and provides people the opportunity to unwind and unload. We sat bemused by Mr. Natividad’s advocacies on agroforestry and inclusivity. We got to know more about him. We Googled basic sign language for Paulo, in case he passed by. We got along with Sasha as he tells us that the proper way to say croissant is not /kro-sahnt/ but /kwa-song/. Throughout these events, coffee was either the topic or on the table. From the get-go, it was clear that Mr. Natividad wanted to develop a special coffee culture. One that makes a diverse group of people bond and learn about each other openly. If coffee brings people and stories to the table, what more can be asked for?
“Are you,” I asked Sasha, “a coffee lover?” He answered, “Now I am.”