“Thankful gyud kaayo ko sa ATI because of this, na brighten akong mind nga naa man diay koy opportunity nga dapat makuha sa farm” (I am thankful to ATI because this training has opened my mind that there is opportunity in farming) says Renato S. Sumania, owner of Jamaican F&B (Food & Beverage) Training Center.
Mr. Sumania shares how thankful he is of the chance given to him by ATI in attending the Farmer Business School (FBS) training held at the Harbor Lights Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City October 19-22, 2020. He admits that his knowledge about coffee is only limited to the trainings that he has attended and farm visitations. He says that nothing compares to having the first-hand experience in his own coffee farm. “…Karon pa nako na realize. Before I focused on training and travelling para lang i-share nako diri ang akong natun-an, wala nako na realize na pwede ra diay diri mismo sa akong farm nako makuha ang akong natun-an didto sa lain nga lugar,” (I just realized recently because before, I just focused on training and travelling to gain knowledge and be able to share it here, I did not realize that I can also get learning from my very own farm) he said.
His almost one-hectare farm which was established in February of 2019, located at Mambuya in Cagayan de Oro City, showcases not only coffee but coconut, durian, mango, and bananas as well. He also plans to put up a coffee shop in his farm as an additional tourist attraction to compliment to their roasting facility especially that they are also on the process of applying as an ATI learning site.
He is certain that with the farm that he has, he will be able to impart and demonstrate his knowledge to his trainees even more. “…Pwede nako mag tudlo not only about how to prepare coffee, but also how to farm coffee. Because before naa nako’y knowledge but dili nako ma implement because wala koy farm. Now I will be able to teach them how to do it from cherry to cup,”( Now, I cannot only teach them how to prepare coffee, but how to grow them as well. Because although I had knowledge on it, I cannot fully expound it since I do not have my own farm. Now, I will be able to teach them how to do it from cherry to cup) he said.
Mr. Sumania along with the other participants of the FBS training will be presenting their Farm Business Plan outputs during the Business Plan Presentation on November 16-17, 2020.
During the 4th day of the FBS training, he was also able to showcase their signature coffee blends to the participants by offering free americano, cappuccino, café latte, and mocha latte. Mr. Sumania’s Jamaican F&B Training Center has trained more than thousands of individuals since its operation in 2003. They are located at the 3rd Floor of Jaraula Building JV Seriña St. Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City. They offer various programs such as Specialty Barista, Roasting Class, Green grading coffee beans, Cupping & Sensory skills, Machine repair, Bartending, and Japanese Nihongo.