Coffee fest of Benguet town set Feb. 7-8

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Bring your mug and enjoy free coffee at the Municipal Hall grounds here on February 7 to 8 while also listening to your favorite music.
The third staging of the La Trinidad Coffee Festival will see all coffee growers in the town trying to promote their products in the festival that precedes the La Trinidad Strawberry Festival and during the Baguio City’s Panagbenga celebration.
“It’s our third staging already (for this) minor festival to promote La Trinidad, Benguet Arabica coffee,” said town tourism officer Valred Olsim who is expecting all 935 coffee growers to grace the two-day festivity that will also have a coffee conference prior the event.
“Our goal is to help our coffee farmers, all 935 of them, and to expand our tourism products which will hopefully create demand,” Olsim said.
Olsim said coffee producers abound in the province of Benguet, including in Atok town which was recognized for the top quality coffee from the brand “Atokape” while there are also growers in Sagada, Mountain Province, from where a product has been recognized internationally, and also in Kalinga, where the highly valued kape ti musang (civet cat) comes from.
Olsim said the coffee conference and coffee appreciation would be at the Municipal Park.
On February 6, there will be a cupping and barista demonstration also at the same park.
There will be visits and tours to coffee-producing farms on February 7 and 8, while February 8 is reserved for the coffee stakeholders assembly that will be followed by the closing ceremony.
Free coffee will be given to park-goers during the main event on February 7 and 8 but Olsim said one must bring his or her own mug or cup.
On the same days, a coffee jam will be staged every afternoon by local musicians and bands.
Olsim said an invitation has been sent through Facebook to all local musicians to take part in the event free of charge.
The open jam will be staged from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. during the event where musicians will “be rewarded with free coffee, fest shirts, and mugs.”
The capital town is more known as the strawberry capital of the country despite growing all kinds of highland vegetables./Pigeon Lobien (PNA)