The fourth Dumaguete Coffee Festival will host 26 exhibitors from July 24 to 30 to boost the local coffee industry by promoting homegrown products, expanding market opportunities, and connecting coffee entrepreneurs with suppliers amid rising demand for quality coffee beans.

The weeklong festival will feature local coffee shops, cafés, brewers, and coffee growers showcasing specialty coffee and locally sourced products, according to Maribel Sumanoy, chief of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Division of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Oriental.

Sumanoy told the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday that the festival aims to strengthen the province’s coffee ecosystem by promoting local coffee culture, providing a platform for local talent to reach wider markets, and connecting industry players with potential suppliers.

“We all know that the province’s supply of good quality coffee beans cannot keep up with the growing demand here, so we are connecting the exhibitors to suppliers from other local government units,” she said.

Sumanoy said the Philippine coffee industry’s strategic development roadmap also includes sourcing from major coffee-producing areas, including Bukidnon, Davao, the Cordillera Region and Iloilo, to help meet supply requirements.

“We are showing our local coffee farmers the need to increase production to meet the growing demand for coffee,” she added.

One of the festival’s major attractions is the Philippine Coffee Brewers League competition, scheduled for July 25 to 27, which Dumaguete City will host as part of the celebration.

The competition will bring together coffee brewers from Cebu, Bohol, Negros, and nearby areas to compete for the chance to represent the country in the ASEAN Brewery League.

Organizers said the festival keeps Dumaguete as an emerging specialty coffee hub, supporting local farmers, brewers and coffee businesses with more exposure, networking and collaboration. (PNA)