Highlights
- Nabuo ang Coffee Belt dahil sa kagustuhan ni Abegail Manalansan makatikim muli ng kape mula Pilipinas.
- Mahalaga ring tuunan ng pansin ang sitwasyon ng mga coffee farmers.
- Benguet coffee ang kasalukuyang dinadala ni Abegail sa Australya, pero nais pa niyang magdala ng iba pang varieties mula Pilipinas.
SBS Filipino's 'Kape Serye' is a collection of features celebrating Filipino-owned cafes; Filipino baristas, producers, distributors and coffee aficionados; and of course, the Philippine-grown coffee bean.
"Coffee is very complex. All this talk about thermodynamics, heat, grain size, etc! Oh my God - so scientific! I come from an engineering and IT background, but learning about coffee made me feel so small," saad ng coffee supplier na si Abegail Manalansan.
Kahit nanliit si Abegail sa dami ng kailangan malaman ukol sa kape mula Pilipinas, malaki ang kanyang mga plano para dito.
Abegail Manalansan Source: Abegail Manalansan
Pag-miss sa Kapeng Barako
Nagtatrabaho noon sa IT ang Sydneysider na si Abegail noong pinagdesisyunan niyang magtayo ng sarili niyang negosyo.
"I wanted to do it while I still had the nerve to do so. I was looking into drop shipping - bringing manufactured goods from China and India and just basically managing a website to sell. Then COVID hit. Perfect timing, right?" aniya.
Habang pinag-iisipan niya kung ano ang negosyong gusto niyang pasukan, na-mimiss din niya ang kaniyang pamilya sa Pilipinas na di niya mabisita.
"I go home every year and I couldn't because of the pandemic. I asked my brother if he could send me Kapeng Barako [coffee from Batangas known for its strength]. I have such good memories of it, my dad worked abroad and when he would visit home, he would always have Kapeng Barako in the morning.
"My dad worked abroad and when he would visit home, he would always have Kapeng Barako in the morning." Source: cocoparisienne from Pixabay
"Aside from reminding me of home, I was also becoming somewhat of a coffee snob because of the awesome coffee culture here in Australia."
Para kay Abegail, ang Kapeng Barako ay ang pinakakilalang kape sa Pilipinas.
Nadiskubre ni Abegail at ng kanyang kuya na mahirap pa lang ipadala ang Kapeng Barako sa Australya.
"I searched for the coffee here in Australia to no avail. My brother joked that if I really wanted the coffee, I should just be the one to bring it to Australia and make a business out of it. I laughed nervously because I knew nothing about the industry; but after a while, I thought, 'Why not?'"
"My brother joked that if I really wanted the coffee, I should just be the one to bring it to Australia and make a business out of it." Source: Abegail Manalansan
'I'll do it'
Nang magdesisyon si Abegail na pasukin ang negosyong ito, naisip niyang kailangan niyang matutunan ang lahat ukol sa industriya ng kape.
"I found out that in terms of freshness, green coffee beans were the way to go. That was a big hurdle for me. What do I do with green beans? Do I need to learn how to roast? So I did - I studied it."
Habang pinag-aaralan niya ang coffee roasting, sumali siya sa isang webinar ukol sa coffee culture at industriya sa Pilipinas.
Berries from a coffee tree. Source: Kalsada Coffee
"I learned that Kapeng Barako or Liberica only made up around 1 per cent of the coffee produced in the Philippines.
"I also discovered that Philippine beans were expensive due to lack of government support. A lot of plantations shift from coffee to vegetables because vegetables are more profitable. I empathise with the coffee farmers because my brothers are farmers too."
"I empathise with the coffee farmers because my brothers are farmers too." Source: Kalsada Coffee
Benguet coffee
Maliban sa pag-aaral ukol sa industriya, nakahanap si Abegail ng supplier mula sa webinar para sa kanyang negosyo na pinangalanan niyang Coffee Belt. Ang supplier na ito ay ang Kalsada Coffee.
"Kalsada Coffee connects suppliers from around the world with farmers.
"Companies that get their coffee from Kalsada aren't my competition. In order for us to continue making all of our businesses sustainable, we need each other. More suppliers mean more support for the farmers," aniya.
"Kalsada Coffee connects suppliers from around the world with farmers." Source: Kalsada Coffee
Pagdating sa supplies, ang coffee beans na nakukuha niya mula sa Kalsada Coffee ay galing Benguet.
Saad ni Abigail, light at vibrantly acidic ang flavour profile ng coffee beans mula Benguet.
"Our Sitio Naguey is more fruity and has subtle hints of cherry and berry. Sitio Kisbong, on the other hand, is more chocolatey and nutty.
Sitio Naguey coffee Source: Kel Morales
"It's funny, the sitios [subdivisions] are only separated by one precipice, but their coffees are different. Coffee flavours change depending on the soil, climate and other factors."
Kung magkulang man siya ng supply, may First Crack Blend na ginawa si Abegail mula sa locally sourced beans.
Aminado si Abegail na kulang minsan ang supply at mahirap minsang ibenta ang Filipino coffee sa Australya, ipagpapatuloy niya ang kanyang adbokasiya.
Abegail commits to adding more Filipino coffee varieties to her offerings. Source: Jeffrey Polintan
"I'm looking into adding coffee from Mt. Apo and Bukidnon to our offerings. And of course, we will continue offering Benguet coffee.
"I'm in this for the long run. I have a huge vision of becoming a brand ambassador of Philippine coffee in Australia. I'm keeping my hopes up. I'll keep on pushing."
"I'm in this for the long run. I have a huge vision of becoming a brand ambassador of Philippine coffee in Australia." Source: Kel Morales
BASAHIN / PAKINGGAN DIN
