Bonto centreps show way to good coffee business in Makati

A two-day barista course on coffee preparation and coffee shop operation was recently conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry through its National Coffee Cluster in Makati City, to prepare small and medium entrepreneurs SMEs planning to put up specialty coffee shops.

Cordillera DTI director Myrna Myrna, who is the agency’s national champion for coffee and the DTI as an agency committed to improve the Philippines coffee industry by conducting trainings and providing tools and material requirements such as the shared services facilities.

During the training, resource speaker Jaycee Martinez articulated what a barista should know about coffee roasts, grind, water, temperature, brewing methods and basics of cupping.

Held at the Makati Palace Hotel, participants were mostly small and micro entrepreneurs and DTI coffee point-persons from the country’s 12 regions.

Gemma Ngelangel, owner of Gold Fish Cafe, Bontoc and Gold Fish Laundry discussed setting up successful coffee shop.

Ngelangel shared her experiences as proprietor and discussed the importance of start-up capital, location, people, branding and menu offered in a coffee shop. Mountain Province DTI Provincial Director Juliet P. Lucas who attended the training as a participant tried her hands using different coffee preparations with Arabica coffee from Lubon, Mountain Province.

Lucas’ commented in her social media page that one cannot just say "Coffee is good" as a barista and she realized that she need to learn more terms on cupping because when asked, a barista must be able to tell what makes it good. It was learned participants will re-echo what they learned upon their return to their respective provinces. -- Art Tibaldo