Based on the DTI 2 press release, the PCQC 2023 which was facilitated by the Barista and Coffee Academy of Asia, Inc. from March to May 2023 is an annual competition designed to identify and promote the best quality coffees in the Philippines to domestic and international markets to benefit producers, market actors and consumers.

“Through the PCQC, coffee farmers and producers are encouraged to improve the quality of their coffee beans as well as their market access as these coffees are made known to specialty buyers through the competition results and subsequent auction which provides higher profit,” the DTI said.

The other four entries that were graded as Fine Robusta were: Valdez Integrated Farm- Angadanan, Isabela; Alfred Coffee Trading- Ambaguio, Nueva Vizcaya; Tiblac Farmers Agriculture Cooperative- Ambaguio, Nueva Vizcaya; and Bumolo's Integrated farm - Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya.

The entries of Bugkalot Coffee Growers Association- Dupax del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya and Tiblac Farmers Agriculture Cooperative - Ambaguio, also of Nueva Vizcaya were green graded as Specialty Arabica.

Meanwhile, the DTI 2 also announced that the Angadanan Forest Region Agrarian Cooperative (AFRARCO) from Isabela also received a citation Their entry was graded as Fine Excelsa, a non-competing category in the PCQC.

The DTI R2 extended its appreciation to the efforts of our coffee farmers in improving the quality of their produce as it expressed hopes to introduce Specialty Cagayan Valley Coffee to the local and global markets by continuously providing assistance and interventions for the development of R2’s Coffee Industry. (TCB/PIA Quirino)