Our coffee heritage

Our country, the Philippines is one of the few countries that produce the four varieties of commercially-viable coffee: Arabica, Liberica (Barako), Excelsa, and Robusta. Climatic and soil conditions make our country suitable for all four varieties.

Philippine coffee has a history as rich as its flavor. The first coffee tree was introduced in Lipa, Batangas in 1740, by a Spanish Franciscan monk. From there, the coffee-growing spread to other parts of Batangas like Ibaan, Lemery, San Jose, Taal, and Tanauan. Batangas owed much of its wealth to the coffee plantations in these areas that led Lipa to eventually became the coffee capital of the Philippines.

The glory days of our country's coffee industry lasted until 1889 when coffee rust hit the Philippine shores. That, coupled with an insect infestation, destroyed virtually all the coffee trees in Batangas. Since Batangas was a major producer of coffee, this greatly affected national coffee production. In two years, coffee production reduced to 1/6th in its original amount. By then, Brazil had regained its position as the world's leading producer of coffee. A few of the surviving coffee seedlings were later then moved from Batangas to Cavite, where they flourished.

Source: Philippine Coffee Board