Coffee certifications let consumers be aware of the farming practices used to produce a certain coffee. Producers are incentivized to take steps to become certified because of the opportunity to sell coffee at higher per-pound prices. In turn, buyers look to certified coffees because of the transparency associated with certifications, the opportunity for higher retail pricing, and the opportunity to support organizations prioritizing sustainable agricultural practices.
Mount Kalatungan, also known as Catatungan, is a volcanic mountain located in the province of Talakag, Bukidnon. It is the sixth highest mountain in the country with an elevation of 2,824 masl.
Coffee Bio:
Varietal: Arabica (Typica)
Producer: Cooperative
Elevation: 1,500 m.a.s.l
Processing: Honey
Etymology
Once in the not so distant past, a nomadic tribe wandered down south. Finally, they settled upon a place attuned to their needs and liking. The place was traversed by a zigzagging creek swollen with clear sparkling water were on its banks grew in abundance wild Malayan trees called “Balangas” (now popularly known as Rambutan). The trees were full of attractive bloody red but juicy and delicious fruits, clustered in their very green foliages. Because of fanatical attachment of this tribe to these balangas trees, they decided to name their settlement “Kabalangasan”.
The Aguileras are a family of 12 brothers and sisters who are second-generation coffee producers in the West Valley. (Hermanosis used to describe mixed male and female siblings in Spanish, but literally translates to “brothers” in English.) Their father was one of the first coffee growers in the area and planted his farm 70 years ago: Neighboring farmers warned him that coffee wouldn’t grow there, but now the area is rich with coffee lands. His children, the Aguilera Brothers, work together to produce coffee: Most of the siblings own farmland, and they comanage the micro mill they installed with the earnings from their fourth-place Cup of Excellence win in 2007.
At first, their father was skeptical about the mill, but he was pleased by the results: Before they had the mill, the family was selling its coffee to a local cooperative and did not have any connection with the roasters who bought the lots. “No one ever visited before,” says brother Erasmo, the general manager of the micro-mill. “Now we get feedback, and we hear who likes the coffee and how we can make it better.” They have a nursery in which they are growing many different varieties, including Gesha and SL-28, as well as Bourbon and Villa Sarchi. They aim to grow “a balance of good-quality and rust-resistant varieties.”
This lot is a Gesha variety selection that is processed as Washed, using a demucilaging machine to remove all of the mucilage before drying.
