ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 26 March) — Seven farmers from the municipality of Pangantucan in Bukidnon dominated the first ever Northern Mindanao Coffee Quality Competition held earlier this month, according to the Department of Trade and Industry in Region 10 (DTI-10).
Manolito Garces, of Barangay New Eden in Pangantucan, won first place in the Arabica category, his coffee beans getting an 87.13% rating from certified Q graders, the experts skilled in sensory evaluation of coffee, according to a statement emailed by DTI-10 to MindaNews on Friday.
The awarding was held in Malaybalay City on March 18.
The Q graders noted hints of “raisin, blueberry, winey, cherry, plum, berries, mango, and floral” while cupping Garces’s winning coffee, according to DTI-10.
The other Pangantucan farmers who won in the Arabica category were from Barangay Pigtauranan, namely, Aiza Inahan (second), Arnold Pina (third), and Marion Inahan (fourth).
Placing fifth was Joannah Dumaquita, of the MILALITTRA Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (MILFACO) of Barangay Miarayon in Talakag, Bukidnon; while sixth was Aurora Chiong of Claveria in Misamis Oriental.
In the Robusta category, yet another Pigtauranan farmer won first place: Primitiva Mahumot, with a rating of 84.38%, with cupping notes of “apple, honey, yellow cherry, grapefruit, unripe mulberry, pineapple, clove, and molasses.”
Other winners in the Robusta category from Pigtauranan in Pangantucan were Ranel Balatero in second place and Marvin Dagohoy in fourth place.
Noel Duyongan from Kibenton in the municipality of Impasugong, Bukidnon placed third while Dennis Ong from Claveria, Misamis Oriental placed fifth.
“The Regional Coffee Quality Competition aims to identify and promote the best quality coffee in Northern Mindanao. It evaluates, assesses, and provides a platform to showcase the variety of the region’s quality coffee,” DTI-10 said.
The competition was held on March 14-17 at the coffee cupping laboratory of Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Maramag, Bukidnon.
Twenty-one Arabica and Robusta coffee beans from Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental were submitted as official entries, according to DTI-10.
The competition was organized by the Regional Coffee Council of Region 10, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 10, Rural Agro-enterprise Partnerships for Inclusive Development (RAPID) Growth Project, ACDI/VOCA Philippine Coffee Advancement and Farm Enterprise (PhilCAFE), Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project, Department of Agriculture (USDA), and CMU. (MindaNews)