Kape ‘Ta sa Merkado: 4 local coffee brands take over Iloilo Central Market

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY — Coffee is taking center stage in Iloilo City’s public markets as the city launches its first Kape ‘Ta sa Merkado, a weeklong festival aimed at promoting local coffee businesses and attracting more market-goers.

The celebration, set for Aug. 22-28 at the Iloilo Central Public Market as part of the city’s 89th Charter Anniversary, will bring together 24 local coffee merchants.

The charter anniversary marks the city’s elevation to chartered status in 1937 and is observed each August with a program of civic, cultural, and commercial events.

Benjamin Niño IV, marketing officer of the Local Economic Enterprise Office, the city unit that operates Iloilo City’s public markets, said the event aims to promote homegrown coffee shops and create opportunities for them to reach more customers.

“We want to create a new story for our coffee owners, and we want to spread the word that our Kape ‘Ta sa Merkado is not just limited inside but also outside,” Niño said Monday, Aug. 17.

Niño noted that coffee shops have helped attract visitors to public markets, with tourists among those frequenting these establishments.

He said the growing number of cafes across Iloilo City also reflects the expanding coffee culture among Ilonggos.

“We have coffee shops in our markets, and we can see that it is the tourists that make time to go to these coffee shops,” Niño said.

The city invited 10 coffee shops operating within public markets, as well as other Ilonggo-owned coffee businesses, to participate in the festival.

“All in all, there are 24 merchants. This coffee festival is not only about coffee. We will also have complementary products — the perfect pair for coffee — so we invited merchants for that,” he added.

Niño said the participating merchants were invited to join the festival for free, with the city hoping this would encourage them to offer coffee and other products at affordable prices.

He added that holding the festival at the Iloilo Central Public Market generates additional foot traffic and economic activity at the facility.

The event will also give coffee entrepreneurs a venue to promote their products, connect with potential customers, and showcase the growing local industry to market-goers and visitors.

The festival will feature activities ranging from coffee tasting and a coffee products bazaar to discussions on the journey of coffee from farm to cup, coffee appreciation sessions, and manual brewing demonstrations.

It will also stage competitions for baristas and coffee enthusiasts, including a Latte Art Competition for the open category and an Espresso Beverage Competition exclusive to students enrolled in schools in Iloilo.

Other activities include a micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) business forum, coffee business success stories, discussions on franchise and business opportunities, product matching, a coffee-inspired food fair, coffee demonstrations, and cultural activities.

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu said the festival is intended to highlight Iloilo’s growing coffee industry and the local farmers, roasters, cafe owners, and entrepreneurs behind it.

“We take pride in our coffee industry, and we want to highlight it … We made sure that this festival is for you, so that we can showcase our homegrown and local coffee shops here in Iloilo,” the mayor said.

The city government is aiming to make Kape ‘Ta sa Merkado an annual celebration.