The KFC Triathlon Club of Japan was first introduced to Rota’s Arabica coffee growing in the wild which then triggered KFC’s Rota Coffee Marathon. Rota is southernmost island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in the north-western Pacific Ocean.
Now KFC is back on Rota to gather coffee beans for UCC’s investigatory and testing work to determine coffee bean quality.
UCC is Ueshima Coffee Co., one of the world’s largest coffee companies.
Once UCC determines the quality of organically grown Rota Island Mountain Coffee as one of the world’s finest, it plans to pour in direct investments into Rota coffee growers.
These investments include resources such as tools, equipment, technical assistance, training and knowledge, including the marketing of Rota Island Mountain Coffee in Japan and around the world.
Indirect benefits to be realized on and for Rota will be a stimulated economy with things like job creation and additional marketing of Rota as a vacationing destination.
Ever heard of UCC Kona Coffee Estate and UCC Blue Mountain Coffee at Craighton Estate in Jaimaca? These are some of its investments besides its purchasing of coffee beans from other coffee growing countries under strict quality control.
UCC is not just about coffee growing, it also believes that preserving a rich natural environment is essential to producing good coffee, thereby taking active measures to make eco-friendly coffee.
So what triggered Rota’s KFC friends to report Rota Caffea Arabica coffee to UCC? A research frenzy into Rota coffee kicked off when KFC received old records of Spanish colonial government in the Mariana Islands (1521-1898) documenting coffee growing activity which DLNR received out of the U.S. Library of Congress through Congressman Kilili’s office, and his staffers, including Tina Sablan.
KFC and support staff then dug into old Japanese archives about coffee during the Japanese colonial era. What they found astonished them. According to KFC, their findings and document translations found that both the Spaniards and Japanese reported that coffee grown in the highlands of Rota Island were found to be the best in the Marianas and of high quality.
Rota awaits UCC’s coffee bean test results while the Rota Island Specialty Crop Association or RISCA take steps to propagate Rota Caffea Arabica coffee. RISCA and the Rota mayor’s office are calling on the Rota community to help us help ourselves establish the Rota Island Mountain Coffee brand. Get ready Rota!
Thank you KFC Triathlon Club for introducing Rota Caffea Arabica coffee to UCC and for helping Rota Island.
