I’m going to America. I’m going to the land of my dreams- the land of not just milk and honey but for me, it’s now the land of coffee, milk and honey.

I could feel her excitement even on the other side of the phone line. Imelda “Bebing” Mendoza was practically bursting with happiness. America has always been a dream destination for most Filipinos and Bebing, is no different. As a young child, I, too have dreamed of going to the US and playing in the snow. As an adult, America seems the place of endless opportunities.

For most, this remains a dream. For Bebing, not only has she set foot in America, but she conquered it. She went to receive an award as the Best Coffee - Robusta Category. The competition is tough. Kape Maramag was adjudged as the Grand Champion under the Robusta Category during the 1st Kape Pilipino Cupping Competition sponsored by the Agricultural Cooperative Development International/ Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI/VOCA). Incidentally, the Arabica Category was also won by the Hineleban Coffee, produced by a group of indigenous people also from Bukidnon. Their triumph allowed them to gain specialty coffee status where they were cupped and graded.

Kape Maramag bested 78 other known coffee producers all over the Philippines. The 12 judges were composed of foreigners and Filipino coffee enthusiasts. The winners of both categories were then brought to the Unites States for the Global Specialty Coffee Expo awarding. All expenses were shouldered by ACDI/VOCA, a non profit organization founded by the US Cooperative Community based in Washington DC. ACDI/VOCA is the implementor of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) MinPACT Project which aims to increase income of smallholder coffee farmers.

The coffee products of those who composed the top 10 in both categories here in the Philippines were brought to the US. The room-full of coffee connoisseurs tasted the coffees from the Philippines and validated the decision of the judges in the Philippines. It was still Kape Maramag and Hineleban Coffee that emerged as the best coffee in the Philippines. The validation and awarding was done at Sheraton Convention Center in Seattle, USA last April 2017. Kape Maramag received PhP 150,000 worth of machineries.

For me, being in Seattle is like being in Disneyland.

I truly understand her sentiment. Seattle is known as the center for coffee roasting in the world. Any well respected coffee producer knew that Seattle is the home of many popular coffee houses, including Starbucks, the most popular coffee house in the Philippines. People in Seattle consume more coffee than any other American City. One study even said that there are 35 coffeeshops per 100,000 residents in Seattle. They usually spend an average of $36 a month on coffee.

Bebing is the driving force and brains behind Kape Maramag, a local coffee brand in Maramag, Bukidnon. Kape Maramag is produced by the Rural Improvement Club (RIC) of Maramag, a local organization composed of rural women who are into agriculture. Bebing is the President of the Association, a position she holds since 2012.

My initial aim is just to help our members earn so I partnered with Kaanib Foundation to establish a community-based coffee project.

From a handful of members who have already a few hectarage of coffee trees, the initial 100 kilos of coffee produced in 2012 has now reached 10 tons per year. Total hectarage of the members reached more than 500 hectares of bearing coffee trees.

Partnerships with other institutions such as ACDI/VOCA, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture (DA), Local Government Unit (LGU) and the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI). Kape Maramag is an accredited Learning Site of the ATI.

What is remarkable about Bebing’s triumph is that she was able to bring Kape Maramag to the national and even international arena in just five years.

When we were still starting, the ATI sent me to Vietnan for a Training on Coffee Production. That training widened my perspective and showed me the potentials of coffee as a business.

The recognition that Kape Maramag received opened doors for new markets of robusta coffee, especially in the United States.

I would like to expand hectarage of coffee to other municipalities as market opportunities are arising. Of the 1,050 RIC-Maramag members at present, only 300 are coffee planters. I would like to encourage other members to plant coffee. The Department of Agriculture (DA) has already committed to give 200,000 coffee seedlings.

New networks with coffee shop owners were also established. Infact, during off-season here in the Philippines.

I would like to go back to Seattle to learn more about coffee. I plan to work in a Café and gain more experience so that one day Kape Maramag will become the Starbucks of the Philippines.

In another five years, what awaits Kape Maramag? With Bebing at the helm, I have no doubt, a very bright future awaits.