Mindanao coffee groups secure P38.5M in projected sales

Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) Mindanao’s supported coffee groups successfully negotiated a total of P38.5M in projected sales at the close of the Philippine Coffee Expo 2024 on June 7-9, 2024.

The total, which includes P133,045 in actual sales derived during the three-day event, was achieved through direct engagement with on-site buyers and business matching activities assisted by PRDP staff.

Of the ten participating Mindanao coffee groups, St. Mary’s of Downtown Farmers Organization, Inc. from Amai Manabilang, Lanao del Sur booked the highest sales from the expo with P12.9 M in total projected sales. This includes P23,030 in actual sales from their engagement with clients during the expo.

Rose Ann Gicole, marketing specialist of St. Mary of Downtown Farmers or SMD, was grateful for PRDP’s support by sponsoring their participation in the Philippine Expo 2024.

“This was an amazing experience for us because not only did we get to meet a lot of people including foreign and local buyers, but we were also able to showcase coffee from BARMM, specifically our coffee from Amai Manabilang in Lanao del Sur,” Gicole said. “We are grateful to be one of PRDP’s beneficiaries because this is a big opportunity for us to be here.”

2023 marked the first time SMD took part in PRDP Mindanao’s coffee delegation at the Philippine Coffee Expo where they would get significant recognition by placing top 7 in the arabica category in last year’s Philippine Coffee Quality Competition. This recognition as well as other initiatives and support provided by PRDP has opened up new opportunities for business and promotion for the BARMM coffee group.

This was followed by Casiklan Wheels Farmers Association, Inc. (CAWFAI) from Agusan del Norte which negotiated PhP12M in projected sales and PhP10,335 in actual sales, and Kantitap Consumers Cooperative from Sulu with PhP5.5M in negotiated sales and PhP10,600 in actual sales during the expo.

Already in its third year of participation, PRDP Mindanao’s supported coffee groups continue to make an impact in the country’s largest coffee event with this year’s sales more than quadrupling last year’s total sales of PhP8M.

Mindanao’s I-REAP or enterprise development head Cherrilyn Baylon said the Philippine Coffee Expo continues to serve as an excellent platform for their supported coffee groups to showcase their products to a wider audience including potential buyers, investors, and other stakeholders.

“PRDP Mindanao’s participation in the Philippine Coffee Expo is a strategic move that complements its broader goals of promoting the coffee industry in Mindanao,” Baylon said. “By providing exposure, facilitating networking, promoting local coffee, and aligning with its developmental initiatives, PRDP plays a pivotal role in driving the growth and sustainability of the coffee sector which not only benefits individual coffee producers but also contributes to the overall economic and social development of Mindanao.”

To date, PRDP’s total investments in support of the coffee industry in Mindanao have reached PhP2.1 billion in the form of 26 infrastructure and enterprise development subprojects as well as 60 leveraged investments across all six regions. With the shift in focus into clustering and consolidation with the PRDP Scale-Up, PRDP will now focus on big ticket projects such as the creation of commodity hubs in key regions in Mindanao. PR