Bo’s Coffee, the country’s largest homegrown coffee chain, celebrates Philippine Independence Month with this cheery greeting, encouraging us to wake up to the smell of freshly brewed Philippine Coffee.

Founded in June 1996 and now on its 28th year, Bo’s Coffee serves world-class Philippine Coffee Origins single origin beans sourced all over the country, from Atok in Benguet to Mt. Matutum in South Cotabato, staying true to their mission of putting the spotlight on Philippine Coffee.

“We source our coffee beans around the country and work with social enterprise partners. We champion Philippine Coffee of world-class quality, highlighted and served in our locations both locally and globally,” says Rachel Fallarme, Bo’s Coffee’s senior VP and chief operating officer.

Supporting local coffee communities

Since opening in Cebu City 28 years ago, Bo’s Coffee has supported local coffee farming communities by funding the construction of coffee mills, making the production process more efficient and improving harvest yield.

In September 2023, Bo’s Coffee partnered with The Dream Coffee in establishing a coffee mill in T’Boli, South Cotabato. Operational within just two months by November 2023, the mill, located in Barangay T’Bolok, T’Boli, South Cotabato, has become a pivotal hub for processing coffee from T’Boli, Lake Sebu, and surrounding provinces like Sultan Kudarat.

The Dream Coffee x Bo’s Coffee Mill includes essential components such as a drying house, outdoor drying beds, a processing area, storage facilities and utility rooms. The coffee mill has led to a 275 percent surge in production, provided employment for 12 individuals during construction, 28 seasonal coffee processors, and 2 permanent mill workers. For the 2023/2024 harvest season, Dream Coffee collaborated with 50 farmers from five communities in T’Boli and 1 in Lake Sebu.

“What I appreciate the most about working with Bo’s Coffee is that they really walk their talk. They don’t just partner with community-focused enterprises to generate surface-level talking points. I’ve seen firsthand that they make these investments, because they want to contribute to felt impact in the lives of Filipino coffee producers,” says Larissa Joson, The Dream Coffee founder.

“We take immense pride in promoting Philippine specialty coffee and remain committed to fostering further development through partnerships with similar projects like the Kalsada x Bo’s Coffee Mill in Sitio Kisbong, Benguet. We look forward to serving the new harvest in our nationwide locations, soon,” Fallarme explains.

“In 2019, Bo’s Coffee and Kalsada agreed to invest in a community processing mill in Sitio Kisbong, Atok, Benguet. The goal was to create a hub where farmers can bring their harvest within their own community, receive payment right away with a fair price, and learn proper processing techniques. Back in 2019, the project increased the average farmers’ income by as much as 48 percent compared to the old practice of selling to middlemen and traders,” says Tere Domine, co-founder and country manager of Kalsada Coffee.

Local flavors

As part of their Philippine Independence Month celebration, Bo’s Coffee held a Coffee Appreciation event with select members of the media and key online influencers in Cebu where it was founded, focusing on Philippine Coffee Origins through a coffee appreciation and brewing session with its coffee master, Jason Carl Vasquez. “We featured specialty coffee from our social enterprise partners, Kalsada and The Dream Coffee, with Tere Domine and Larissa Joson sampling their coffee beans,” says Laine Vallar, Bo’s Coffee’s assistant VP and director of Marketing.

Nationwide, the heritage coffee brand will launch its “Magandang Umaga, Pilipinas” Independence Month campaign, offering limited-time beverages for its anniversary month. Their Frozen Bliss series is a collaboration with another well-loved Filipino brand, Lily’s Peanut Butter. “Our limited-time offer beverages are Iced Peanut Butter Foam Latte and Peanut Butter Mocha Froccino. These beverages combine our bestselling mocha variant with the smooth creaminess of Lily’s Peanut Butter, evoking nostalgic childhood afternoons of peanut butter sandwich snacks with friends and family,” says Vallar.

Bo’s Coffee also has their much-awaited annual Anniversary Caffeine Rush promotion, featuring P100 Medium Froccinos every Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., from 21 June to 19 July on selected Froccinos except Mocha and their seasonal Froccinos.

For more information on Bo’s Coffee products, visit www.boscoffee.com and Bo’s Coffee on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.