Sagada, a town famous for its hanging coffins in Mountain Province of the Philippines, has been a producer of coffee and is now emerging as the country’s Arabica coffee capital. But one thing that is also worth noticing in this place is their produce called “Bana’s Coffee.”
Very recently, this Cordillera organic coffee won a medal and gained international recognition in Europe.
This was during the third edition of the International Contest of Coffees Roasted in the Countries of Origin organized by the Paris-based Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA).
A non-government, non-profit organization, AVPA is composed mainly of coffee industry experts and taste enthusiasts.
“Our goal is promoting the value of agricultural products around the world and give recognition to the excellence of producers,” Philippe Juglar, AVPA president, stated.
Bana’s Coffee was first presented to AVPA by a team of three people namely Goad Sibayan, Butch Acop and Rich Watanabe.
Running Bana’s Coffee is Sibayan, who himself is a coffee farmer and roaster. Foreign and local tourists can find Sibayan in Sagada where he grows only Arabica coffee trees.
Sibayan said Bana’s Coffee’s win in Paris helped boost the country’s reputation of having among the best coffee in the world.
He said it was Juglar who gave the award to Consul Rapunzel Acop of the Philippine Embassy in Paris on behalf of the team that counts him, Acop and Watanabe, during the awarding ceremony that took place at the Embassy of Peru in Paris on June 28.
Some 60 coffee entries from 21 countries also received various awards from AVPA.
