Cagayan de Oro City’s office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Northern Mindanao reported that representatives of a US-based coffeehouse franchisee “Biggby Coffee” visited coffee planters group in Maramag Bukidnon for a possible tie up.

The Americans are considering buying local beans directly for their global operations.

The visit coordinated by the Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS) and facilitated by the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division of Region 10 (DA-AMAD 10), sought discussions with local growers to understand their practices and challenges, with the all-encompassing aim of establishing a supply chain link between Biggby Coffee and Bukidnon’s coffee plantations.

Now wanting in support

The regional office, in a statement, said the meeting held last week was supported by the agency in initiatives such as market linkage, product promotion and equipment provision, the Rural Improvement Club Federation of Kape Maramag Inc. moves closer to the global market as operators of Biggby Coffee explore potential farm-direct sourcing opportunities with its local growers.

The federation is composed of farmers who focuses on coffee value chain development.

The 15-year local coffee grower and member of the federation, Lucia Cabacoy, demonstrated to the visiting operators her 2-hectare farm of Catimor, Arabica and Sweet Coffee varieties in Barangay Silang.

Potential sourcing prospects had the visiting operators also engaged with other coffee farmers in the province, including Corazon Llauderes of the Impalutao-Dalwangan-Sawaga Agrarian Reform Cooperative and Edeamae Onduran from Miarayon, Talakag.

Aligned with the agency’s initiative to help farmers link their production with broader markets, the visit solidifies DA’s ongoing efforts to push and promote Bukidnon’s coffee into global trade, the statement said.