Who doesn’t want a cup of coffee?
Coffee is a regular drink that is synonymous to being hospitable of Filipinos. We offer our guests a cup of coffee, be it brewed or the instant 3-in-1 kind. On the average, regular coffee drinkers consume three to five cups of coffee a day.
In earlier days, the Provinces of Cavite and Batangas used to be known for growing coffee. But in recent years, the production of coffee shifted to Benguet and other parts of Mindanao. Gone are the days when the Philippines was one of the top coffee exporting countries.
With the aim of housing a one-stop information shop showcasing the different coffee varieties found in the Philippines, Dr. Carmen L. Lagman, head of the Biodiversity Unit of De La Salle University and Dr. Ruel Mojica, director of the National Coffee Research Development and Extension Center (NCRDEC), Cavite State University (CvSU), conceptualized and spearheaded the establishment of the Coffee Museum.
The establishment of the said museum was made possible through the funding support of the United States Agency for International Development – Science, Technology, Research, and Innovation for Development (USAID-STRIDE).
Launched on June 9, 2015, the Coffee Museum is located inside the CvSU–Don Severino delas Alas Campus in Indang, Cavite. It houses a vast collection of different varieties of coffee all over the Philippines including the Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and the Excelsa varieties.
In his talk during the launching of the museum, Dr. Alejandro Mojica acknowledged the funding support of DOST-PCAARRD of their coffee projects.
Dr. David Hall, the Chief of Party of STRIDE, in his speech, said that STRIDE supports NCRDEC’s R&D activities until the project’s completion in three years.
Present during the launching were key officials, faculty and students of CvSU, Dr. David Hall of USAID-STRIDE, Mirshariff C. Tillah of USAID, De La Salle University Biodiversity Unit Staff-Taft Campus, Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research, different industry partners, provincial and local government units headed by the 7th District Board member Hon. Irene Bencito, coffee farmers/growers, staff from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, Department of Trade and Industry, and coffee advocates and enthusiasts.
In ending, Dr. Ruel Mojica enjoined everyone’s support in its ultimate goal of bringing the Philippine Coffee back into the world market.