For many Filipinos, a cup of coffee signals the start of a new day, providing that much needed boost as they take on new tasks. For others, it’s the perfect drink when catching up with friends and loved ones, giving each chat that added perk. Then, there are those who take their coffee because of its health benefits. But more than just a beverage, coffee, for many other Filipinos, is their livelihood.
Recognizing that coffee means a lot of different things to many Filipinos, Kultura partners with various coffee brands, serving as their link to markets here and abroad, and highlighting Philippine coffee as one of the best in the world. As the beans of Kultura’s partnership with these micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) grow, the benefits pour over to coffee manufacturers, traders and farming communities.
At par with world’s best
One of the best-known Philippine coffee brands is Gourmet Farms, which has been a partner of Kultura since 2015. It was with Kultura that they launched their line of single-origin coffee Kapelipinas.
“If we want to say that we are at par with the world’s best, what better way to say it than be with a store which embodies the same philosophy of showing the Philippines’ best. Kultura is the best venue to showcase Philippine coffee,” Ginny de Villa, Gourmet Farms’ Director for Sales and Marketing, said.
Through the Kapelipinas line at Kultura, coffee consumers have access to the finest single-origin coffee from the country, giving them not just great-tasting brew, but the vicarious experience of being at the beans’ place of origin. Kapelipinas features beans from Benguet, South Cotabato and Bukidnon, among many others. Its two variants, the Apo and the Atok, are seeded by coffee experts as two of the best single-origin coffees in the world.
Restarting a dream with coffee
Also available at the shelves of Kultura are the brands Silcafe and Kick-Start, built by father and son Enrile and Michael Asuncion of Silang, Cavite. For the younger Asuncion, coffee served as the restart he needed after his career as an investment banker abroad suffered a blow during the global financial crisis in 2008.
Their partnership with Kultura and SM also meant the fulfillment of a dream that he and his father cultivated over the years: for their coffee to become more available to a wider market.
“Kultura is a great place to have a presence to show to the international market the best products in the Philippines, so to have a leadership display at Kultura means that you have a great product that has been properly curated,” Michael said.
Sharing the cup
Aside from Gourmet Farms, Silcafe and Kick-Start, other Philippine coffee brands available at Kultura are Kaffea, Benguet Gold Coffee, Figure of Beans, MSC Coffee, Kape Maria, Finca del Carmen, Kayumanggi Organic, Bo’s Coffee and Project Beans.
Through their partnership with Kultura and SM, these brands not only showcase the best local coffee beans, they also provide livelihood to Filipino coffee farmers and industry workers.
Gourmet Farms, for example, also has made coffee education as part of its advocacy, allowing farmers not just to learn new skills but also gain more control in the appreciation of their harvests. Building up their skills not only benefits the farmers, it also contributes to the advancement of the Philippine coffee industry in general.
“There are a lot of new technologies. We have coffee experts going around the country to share with the people the different ways of processing coffee,” Roldan Capito, Gourmet Farms’ Head of Marketing, said.
When people buy a bag of beans at Kultura, which they can enjoy to boost them for the day, or perk them up during their downtime with their loved ones, they also support local businesses, industry workers and Filipino farmers.
For more than 60 years, SM, and its affiliate brands like Kultura, has been home to thousands of MSMEs. As SM grew, so did its MSME partners. From those years of partnership, SM and MSMEs once again stand together to build back stronger.
[Additional photos from Silca Coffee]
