A promising profit awaits Antiqueño growers after their robusta coffee product earned the highest classification as “fine” grade in the 2021 Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC).

“The fine grade is the highest in terms of coffee classification,” Alejandro Gonzaga, president of the Calu-oy-Tula-tula Sikap Organization in Barangay Calu-oy in the Municipality of Sibalom, said in an interview on Thursday.

He said the classification is much coveted as their product was only classified as premium last year.

Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit in Western Visayas (DA RFU 6) coffee coordinator Jairus Serui, in a phone interview, said the “fine grade” classification means the coffee beans are really of good quality.

“The coffee beans have zero defects,” he added, further explaining that the beans were unaffected by any pest infestation.

Gonzaga said their coffee beans are organic and that during harvest time they tediously sort the beans to remove those that have spots due to infestation.

“Our coffee is all-natural because we don’t apply fertilizer,” he said.

With the fine grade classification, their products will command a higher price in the market and will have more potential clients.

“If before, we were selling the premium coffee beans for PHP120 to PHP180 per kilogram, we could now sell it as fine coffee for PHP190 per kilogram or even more,” he said.

Currently, they supply beans to 10 coffee shops in Antique and Iloilo City, he said.

Aside from the coffee beans, they also produce processed coffee using the Shared Service Facility (SSF) equipment given by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Magno said.

“Through the SSF, we can have equipment such as roasting and drying machines and sorting table,” he said.

He said for their processed coffee they are selling 200 grams for PHP50 and 100 grams for PHP100.

The association of coffee growers, with its 300 members, covers 400 hectares in Barangays Calu-oy, Tula-tula, and Bulalacao in Sibalom.

In addition to selling coffee beans, the members are provided with employment, he said.

“Every month, our members per group of 15 individuals on rotation basis are able to work in our processing center for a fee of PHP150 per day with free meals,” he said.

He said the members are helping in the packaging of the beans or their processed coffee and other work needed for their operation. (PNA)