BREWING HOPE: Iloilo Coffee Festival opens doors for struggling farmers

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By JP Jaen, Daily Guardian Intern

Iloilo is positioning itself as a regional hub for coffee production and entrepreneurship, but for many local coffee farmers, the daily reality remains challenging.

Declining yields, unstable prices, and limited access to post-harvest buyers continue to threaten livelihoods in upland communities, clouding the city and province’s brewing ambitions.

For Restituto Valentine of the Trangka Maasin Farmers Association, coffee has long been a lifeline, but fluctuating prices and the absence of direct buyers have made survival difficult.

“Sang una, ang kape amo guid ya ang among pangabuhi. Pero subong, naga-antos na lang kami baligya barato kay wala kami kwarta. Indi man kami makahulat sang taas nga presyo, kay kinahanglan kwarta,” he said.

(Before, coffee was truly our livelihood. But now, we’re forced to sell at low prices because we have no money. We can’t wait for higher prices because we need cash immediately.)

Mary Ann Valentine, 43, who now heads the same association, said they continue to grow coffee in Maasin but often sell beans raw and at lower prices due to urgent cash needs during harvest.

“Aton season sang ani is November to January, pero kay kinahanglan naton kwarta, diretso na naton baligya hilaw. Ti, ginabakal man sang negosyante, kag mabudlay man—kay wala kita kwarta, ga-antos na lang kita baligya sang barato,”she explained.

(Our harvest season is from November to January, but since we need money, we sell the beans raw right away. Traders still buy them, and it’s difficult because we don’t have funds—we end up selling cheap.)

This cycle leaves farmers with little choice but to sell low and miss higher market prices.

“Ang may mga kapital, gapundo [baligya] kag ginahulat anay mag-January ukon February para mahal,” Valentine added.

(Those with capital can afford to wait until January or February when the price goes up.)

This year’s Iloilo Coffee Festival aimed to address that gap by linking over 60 local farmers with 12 entrepreneurs and coffee shop owners to strengthen the farm-to-cup economy.

Through forums and business matching sessions, farmers were introduced to potential partnerships and post-harvest solutions that have long remained out of reach.

The four-day event, which opened on Thursday, July 17, 2025, is organized by the Iloilo Coffee Council and Iloilo Coffee Board to showcase homegrown brews and strengthen the visibility of local coffee producers in Iloilo.

“Kinahanglan naton ang pagpananom sang kape, pero mas importante nga indi naton ini pagbayaan. Subong, madamo nga kapehan ang naga-amat-amat kapatay ukon naga-nubo ang produksyon,” said Jepty Cabanilla, agriculturist II at the Provincial Agriculture Office, during the July 17 coffee production forum.

(We need to plant coffee, but more importantly, we shouldn’t abandon it. Many coffee farms are now dying or producing less.)

Cabanilla said they are promoting a practical and cost-effective rejuvenation method that restores old coffee trees instead of planting new ones.

He stressed that rejuvenated trees can start bearing fruit in less than a year, while newly planted coffee typically takes three to five years to become productive.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coffee Board Inc. emphasized coffee farming’s potential as a viable agribusiness when supported with proper training, market access, and post-harvest interventions.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Iloilo and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Iloilo organized a business matching session to directly connect local producers with potential markets.

“Ginalink naton subong ang local coffee farmers kag local coffee shops,” said Joy Anne Erazo, DTI Iloilo’s focal person for the coffee cluster.

(We’re now connecting local coffee farmers with local coffee shops.)

“Kay nga daan ang gakatabo kis-a, ang farmers ibaligya nila ila beans, then i-roast sa iban nga lugar. Tapos ang roasters from other regions, ibaligya man lang gali sa Iloilo liwat ang gin-roast nga coffee,” she added.

(What often happens is farmers sell their beans, then those are roasted elsewhere. Eventually, roasters from other regions end up selling that same roasted coffee back here in Iloilo.)

In towns like San Joaquin, some growers are reconnecting with the craft.

One farmer shared that planting coffee became a personal and emotional experience before it became a source of income.

“Sa una, gatanom lang ko para sa amon lang. Ginahimo ko siya therapeutic,” the farmer said.

(Before, I only planted coffee for our household. I found it therapeutic.)

“Karon lang ko naka-realize nga pwede gali siya mabaligya kag pagkakitaan, bisan wala ko na plano nga pagkakitaan sa umpisa,” he added.

(I only recently realized that it could actually be sold and turned into income, even if I didn’t plan for it to be a livelihood initially.)