Mindanao Upi Coffee takes home silver award in Paris competition

Who wouldn’t wake up from the goodness of coffee from the Philippines? Whoever that would be, they’ve probably never tasted coffee as good as Mindanao Coffee before.

“Strong coffee, softness in the mouth at the end,” is what describes the winning coffee from Maguindanao in the 6th Coffees Roasted at Origin International Contest.

The blend was awarded the “Gourmet Agent” (Silver) award in the “Puissant Doux” category of the contest. It was held in Paris. The competition had about one hundred and fifty (150) coffees. These came from twenty-five (25) different countries, competing for the various awards in eight categories. 

Humble Beginnings

The South Mindanao Upi Coffee is cultivated with tender-loving care by coffee farmers from North and South Mindanao. These are then processed by the Malibacao Agricultural Cooperative and North Star Upi Coffee. 

Following the process, they are then transferred to the Coffee Heritage Project in Quezon City for roasting. Coffee Heritage Project is a non-government organization promoting the heritage of Philippine coffee.

The taste of Maguindanao’s Upi Coffee is similar to its coffee journey. At the start, it has a bitter kick. It then mellows into a cool, sweet finish. 

Estanislao M. Gepte Jr., the proprietor of North Star Upi Coffee, revealed that he wasn’t originally in the coffee business. He was actually in the fisheries industry for a long time.

READ: Bukidnon and SGD Coffee Take Home 2019 Awards in Milan for Coffee Roasters

A Bittersweet Journey

A phone call from a friend brought him to check the situation of our farmers in North Upi. He found out how they needed guidance in harvesting and selling their crops better. 

From corn, the farmers transitioned to coffee, where wild coffee trees of four major species were abundant, which are robusta, arabica, liberica, and the excelsa.

Eventually, they found out that the trees were growing in the wild, and the soil in South Upi is good. The location also had the ideal amount of rain for growing coffee. 

From Sulu, their efforts then shifted to Maguindanao. At that time, coffee farmers in Maguindanao lacked the government support needed to efficiently grow and harvest their crops. 

After lectures and hands-on demonstrations, North Star Upi Coffee was born in 2018. This gave way for more farmers to learn. The rest is history, as they say. Today, Philippine coffee continues to flourish.

The local roaster prioritizes harnessing local resources and manpower to help the community. As a result, partnerships continued to add up, allowing them to work with people of the same interests from the Coffee Heritage Project.

The Sweet Ending Continues

Fast forward to this year, the robust romance notes of Upi Coffee was one of the participating blends in the 2020 Manila Coffee Festival.

While the event got canceled due to the pandemic, this didn’t stop Upi Coffee from winning the hearts and taste buds of baristas in Metro Manila. 

A dozen and more cups of coffee later, the supportive team from North Star and SGD coffee both agreed to enter Upi Coffee into the competition in Paris. And there, they made us all proud. Congratulations!

READ: Kapeng Pinoy: Why the world is ready for Philippine Coffee