PAHIMIS, a coffee festival of thanksgiving in Amadeo, Cavite, is the first ever of its kind in the Philippines. Now on its 5th year, the coffee fest has slowly become a tradition that is awaited by coffee lovers from all over the country. But, what is PAHIMIS?

PAHIMIS is the Amadeo word for thanksgiving. In the olden times, as a sign of thanksgiving the coffee farmer gave away his last can of harvest, believing that by doing so, luck and abundance will come on the next harvest season.

In keeping with this tradition of thanksgiving, Pahimis is now a coffee festival named after this cultural practice, held annually in Amadeo, Cavite. Among the highlights of the three-day event are the coffee exhibits and performances, farm tours, as well as coffee tasting and giveaways to ensure good luck and street dancing to shout the people's joy of thanksgiving. Part of the festival as well is the Pahimis Coffee Trade Expo & Amadeo Garden Show.

This event, initiated by the incumbent Amadeo Mayor OJ Ambagan and his officials, aims to promote the town's coffee industry and support the local tree growers. It also seeks to present Amadeo as the Coffee Capital of the country and promote the quality of coffee in the Philippines.

*Photo courtesy of www.pahimisfestival.com

Figaro Coffee Company goes Wild About Organic for the second time around as it takes coffee enthusiasts to farms in Batangas, Cavite and Tagaytay, giving them a more intimate understanding of their cup of coffee. The tours have introduced participants to how their coffee is made and, in towns like Amadeo, how the coffee industry supports the people that grow the coffee.

Destinations:

• Wild Organic Coffee Forest in the Institute for Rural Reconstruction at Indang, Cavite
• Figaro Foundation Barako Nursery at Cavite State University
• Figaro Organic Pilot Farm in Amadeo, Cavite
• Figaro Barako Pilot Farm in Amadeo, Cavite
• Ilog Maria Honeybee Farms in Tagaytay City

Guides for this year's farm tour will include Ms. Pacita Juan, Director of the Figaro Foundation Corporation and CEO of Figaro Coffee Company and Robert Francisco, Director at Figaro Coffee Company, Dr. Alejandro Mojica, Cavite State Univeristy.

Registration Fees are as follows:

• Coffee Club Member taking the Coaster -Php 510; With Own Transportation - Php 400
• Non- Coffee Club Member taking the Coaster - Php 600; With Own Transportation - Php 480

All rates are inclusive of lunch prepared by the community of Amadeo, handouts, and a participant kit.

Deadline of registration is on Wednesday, February 23, 2005. All accomplished forms as well as payments should be submitted not later than Wednesday, February 23, 2005.

You can inquire at any of our Figaro Cafés to register or you can print out a copy of our registration form and more information on the farm tour by clicking on the links below.

• Registration Form

For further inquiries regarding the Farm Tour, please contact the Zarah Perez or Mygz Tamondong of the Figaro Foundation at 813583 or 8929535.

In keeping with their goal of coffee tree propagation, the Figaro Foundation held a three-phase series on coffee tree planting dubbed the "Wild About Organic" Series last July, August and September. This annual endeavor, which has drawn great support from Figaro's partners in the academe, government and private sector, not only fosters environmental stewardship and rekindles hope for the local coffee-farming community, but also facilitates more avenues for cooperation.

The first phase of the series was a tree-planting tour to Figaro Foundation's "Wild About Organic" Pilot Farm in Brgy. Pangil, Amadeo, Cavite last July 24.

The "Wild About Organic" campaign is the newest undertaking of the Figaro Foundation. It aims to add value to coffee through organic propagation. As such, the Figaro Foundation introduced tour participants to the principles of organic farming and let them to experience organic coffee farming firsthand.

Now on its 5th year, the Amadeo tree-planting activity had the biggest attendance to date with around 50 volunteers including representatives from sponsors, Kraft and Sysu. Shangri-La Plaza, ScanAsia, Goldilocks, and Permex also supported this endeavor as sponsors. Figaro directors Chit Juan, Reena Francisco, Randy and Raffy Francisco, and Yoya Tanseco were among those who joined the trip. Amadeo Mayor OJ Ambagan, Dr. Alejandro Mojica, proponent of coffee research in the Philippines, and Agricultural Credit Policy Council Director Melito Montenegro and his staff also lent their support. The inclement weather did not deter the volunteers from planting in the rain.

The second leg of the Figaro Coffee Planting Tour had key executives and participants exploring the Benguet mountain slopes last August 7. Due to its production of high-grade mountain Arabica, a coffee bean variety noted for its elegant and gentle flavor and sought by premium coffee buyers worldwide, Benguet has earned its place in the coffee map as a dependable coffee producer. The Coffee Planting Tour in Benguet sealed the partnership between the Figaro Foundation and Benguet State University that aims to promote the Benguet grown coffee. Sponsoring the trip was Camp John Hay Development Corporation, which donated 1,000 Arabica seedlings for the project.

Leading the tree planting at the new Arabica pilot farm at the Benguet State University's agro-forestry area were Figaro CEO Chit Juan, Figaro COO Reena Francisco, Dr. Alejandro Mojica of the Cavite State University, and Benguet State University President, Dr. Rogelio Colting and his staff.

The Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club hosted the final tree-planting activity of the series last September 9, 2004. This unveiled the first Figaro Foundation Organic Coffee Pilot Farm in Batangas. Officers, staff and members of the club participated in this event, which marked the rebirth of coffee farming in Batangas.

Since it was formed in 1998 to help revive and rehabilitate the dying coffee farming industry, Figaro Foundation has devoted much effort to making more Filipinos aware of the local coffee industry's plight.

The Wild About Organic Coffee Planting Series is the introductory campaign of the Figaro Foundation's new Wild About Organic program. This latest effort intends to inspire both farmers and consumers to choose healthier and more environment friendly high quality coffee.

photos by Joaquin Zamora

Figaro Coffee Systems, Inc. represented by its CEO Pacita Juan (above photo, second from right), signs the Philippine Business for Social Progress Statement of Committment as the company becomes a member of PBSP, the country's largest coalition of companies involved in social development. as part of PBSP's roster of 184 member companies, Figaro will contribute time, resources and expertise to support PBSP's poverty reduction programs nationwide. Also shown in photo are Philippine Daily Inquirer chair Marixi Prieto (left) and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. chair Manuel V. Pangilinan.

The Figaro Coffee Company’s yearly Farm Tours have taken Manileño coffee enthusiasts to farms in Batangas, Cavite and Tagaytay over the past five years, giving them a more intimate understanding of their cup of coffee. Our tours to these locations have introduced participants to more than just a knowledge of what their coffee looks like in their plant or bean form. It regularly orients coffee aficionados to how their coffee is made and, in towns like Amadeo, how the coffee industry supports the people that grow the coffee.

The 2004 Going Organic tour took participants through an enriching day of farms that not only support the community around it but also the Environment it lives on.

The Figaro Foundation actively supports the Adopt-a-Farm project initiated by the municipal government of Amadeo, Cavite last year. The project aims to boost local coffee production by allowing private persons or groups to "adopt" idle land or underutilized farms from its owners to cultivate coffee plants.

The LGU will act as facilitator of the program and extend technical assistance to participants, while a coffee cooperative shall assist in the marketing and buying of produce.

For more info, please call the Municipality of Amadeo at telefax (046) 413-3010.

THE 1ST BARAKO CUP GOLF TOURNAMENT

November 14, 2003 proved to be a memorable day for the Figaro Foundation as it held its first-ever golf tournament. Over 100 players and guests turned up at the Aoki Course of the Eagle Rodge Golf and Country Club in support of this humble project, which aimed to raise funds for its numerous projects under its "Save the Barako" campaign.

The success of this project can be accredited partly to its sponsors such as Luxor International, Joey @ 92.3, Alaska, Artistation, Ayala Corporation, HP Village Square, Kraft, Lexicon Press, Nestlé Ice Cream, Nestlé Pue Life, Petron Foundation, PhilAm Foundation, Prudential life, Purefoods-Hormel, Reyes Haircutters, San Miguel Foundation, Teresa Marble Corporation, and Villar Foundation, among others. Figaro Franchisees and friends also showed their support by joining the event.

Through this event alone, the Foundation was able to come up with enough funds to plant over 15,000 new Barako trees, some of which will be planted in the Foundation's newest adopted farm in Amadeo, Cavite.

For October 2003, the National Coffee Development Board is holding coffee seminars in line with the annual coffee festival celebrating the coffee month of October. The event is called COFFEE BREAK: A TOAST TO COFFEE, and it is being held at the Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City from Oct. 7 - 26, 2003. The seminars will be held at Ayala Center participating hotels.The schedules are as follows:

Often, museums celebrate things long gone. From the works of great - but dead- artists, to artifacts from civilizations that no longer exists, to creatures and species gone from the face of the earth.

We at Figaro Foundation intend to revolutionize this concept.

Friends of the Figaro Foundation Corporation, in cooperation with the Cavite State University (CvSU) - the country's National Center for Coffee Research, have began creating a museum dedicated to life.

CvSu and the Figaro Foundation Corporation thus saw the need to create a "Barako" Museum to preserve this noble bean and bring to light the magnificence of its genetic diversity. Different varieties of Barako have developed throughout our archipelago created by varied soil and weather conditions. These variances, however slight, are relevant for research. Thus, seven hundred seedlings brought in from Cavite, Batangas, Bataan, Quezon, Mindoro, Davao and all other Barako-producing provinces throughout our archipelago will be planted in the country's first Barako museum on the Cavite State University.

Join us as we heal the earth, plant a museum!

1st Imported Goods Fair 2003
COEX, Seoul, South Korea
May 15-18, 2003

Flavors of the Philippines
Sheraton Hotel
Stockholm, Sweden
June 10-20, 2003

Through the assistance of CITEM, Figaro joined expos in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Chiba, Japan and Stockholm, Sweden which generated numerous inquiries and applications for Barako Blend and Gold. The company is also doing initial export transactions with a trading firm in the US.

Gulfood Expo 2003
Dubai World Trade Exhibition Complex
Dubai, UAE
February 23-26, 2003

Foodex Japan 2003
Nippon Convention Center (Mukahari Messe)
Chiba, Japan
March 11-14, 2003

This is the second Pahimis coffee festival held in Amadeo, Cavite. Figaro joined this event thru the exhibit along with other coffee companies, roasters, retailers and the like. Aside from the exhibit, farm tours, a parade of floats and street-dancing graced the town's thanksgiving festival.

Photo at the Figaro booth shows (l-r) Mayor OJ Ambagan, Cito Lorenzo, Chit Juan and Niky Matti.

Bean Aid Coffee Cart at GMA 7

In its efforts to educate more people on the current situation of the coffee industry specifically the Barako, the Foundation has tied-up with the GMA Foundation to set up a Bean Aid Cart at the 4th floor of the GMA Network Centre on the corner of EDSA and Timog Avenue in Quezon City. Proceeds from this will go to the Foundation's projects as well.

Weekend at a Gentleman's Farm, Jan 25, 2003. Participants toured the following locations: a coffee farm in Mendez, Cavite, Coffee Creek Farms in Silang and Ilog Maria Honeybee farms.

Leisure Farms Tree Planting

Figaro Coffee Company planted their own organic coffee farm last year (2002 - ed.) in Leisure Farms as part of a program aimed at saving the nearly extinct Barako species and boost agricultural and community development in the local coffee industry.

This ad, right, appeared in major dailies in 2003.

Figaro Foundation and Leisure Farms went on a special Barako Tree Planting Tour last December 14, 2002, Saturday, at the demo farm of Leisure Farms in Tagaytay.

Figaro's Chit Juan and Mr. Alby Xerez-Burgos of Leisure Farms (see photo, right) led in the planting of eight hundred Barako seedlings, bringing the running total for the Foundation's tree planting efforts to 5,000 trees.

Another five thousand trees are needed to meet the Foundation's target of 100,000 by the year 2005. For more information on how you can help save the Barako, click HERE.

Figaro CEO Chit Juan collaborated with Ms. Vicky Veloso-Barrera to come up with this cookbook containing interesting coffee facts and recipes of various coffee concoctions, breads, cookies, cakes and other treats. The launch was held at the newly opened Figaro at the ASEAN Park of the CCP Complex.

The cookbook was awarded "2002 National Book Award for Cookbooks" by the Manila Critics Circle.

The CCP Complex now hosts the newest Figaro branch and headquarters of the Figaro Foundation's Save the Barako campaign. Opened last October 2002, the Figaro branch at the CCP's ASEAN Park is open for breakast to morning joggers; and will offer freshly brewed coffee, pasta and pastries, to theatre patrons and CCP habitues the rest of the day.

The branch was conceived to fund the Foundation's projects aimed at saving the Barako plant.

This year, the Black & White Coffee Festival was held at the new Greenbelt 3 mall in Ayala Center. Participated in by the country's coffee roasters and retailers, the festival offered a host of activities and booths such as the Coffee Museum & Celebrity Cups Exhibit, Coffee Bar, as well as demos and seminars to educate the public about coffee.

The Figaro Foundation Corporation continues its campaign to save the Barako coffee plant from extinction. Figaro headed for Amadeo, Cavite last August 3, 2002 for the 3rd Barako Tree Planing Tour.

Coffee lovers and concerned citizens alike joined the tour which was held at the farm of Amadeo Mayor OJ Ambagan.

Shown above, Dr. Andy Mojica, Head of the National Coffee Research Center in CavSU, instructs Figaro Coffee Club members on the mechanics of planting young Barako trees. Looking on are Mayor OJ Ambagan, Chit Juan of Figaro, and Megan Sy, one of the youngest farmers to join the planting activity (shown with her father, Edward Sy).

First Amadeo Coffee Festival - Pahimis 2002
The first of its kind in the country, the Amadeo Coffee Festival - Pahimis 2002 (April 19 to 29, 2002), served as a venue to exhibit coffee and its allied products. Figaro Coffee Company was one of the companies who participated during the first day of the event, with the goal of promoting Barako. Samples of Figaro's Barako Blend and Barako Gold were given away. Aside from the exhibits, there was also a parade of colorful floats showcasing coffee themes. President Gloria Arroyo, along with other government officials, graced the event.

Photo shows, from left: Councilor Rene Tongson of Amadeo, Dr. Amado Silva of Siete Baracos, Director Tony Reyes of DTI-ICOCA, Mayor OJ Ambagan, Pacita U. Juan of Figaro, Vice Mayor Malixi of Imus, and Vice Mayor Bawalan of Amadeo.

Jessica Soho Reports visited the Cavite State University and the Barako nursery to help raise awareness about the local coffee industry.

Figaro Coffee Farm Tour 2002
Figaro Coffee Company held its 4th Coffee Club Farm Tour last January 26, 2002, in keeping with its goal of raising awareness about the plight of the local coffee industry. Club members and other coffee aficionados alike toured the plantations of Cavite State University and Leisure Farms Tagaytay and learned all about Honeybee farming at the Ilog Maria Honeybee Farms. The trip was sponsored by Viva Mineral Water, Sola Iced Tea and Goldilocks. ABS-CBN's Alas Singko y Media covered the event.

For questions regarding coffee, particularly Coffee Farming, you may call Dr. Alejandro Mojica, National Team Leader, Coffee Research and Development Programs; Director for Research, Cavite State University at Telefax (046)415-1355 or email him at andy_mojica@hotmail.com