Coffee Love in Asturias

Ready to pick! Sweetness. Oh! Coffee!

An assignment in Asturias took me by surprise when i learned that the town led by Mayor Adlawan is strongly promoting the planting of coffee with the hope that in the years to come it will prosper, an additional income for its thriving corn and rice production. (Mayor Adlawan's core in his administration is agriculture which boils down into food production.)

Anyways, we interviewed the agricultural technologist Mr. Roger Tapdasan and learned facts about coffee. A harvestable coffee is red. Before it ripens, it goes through the color green then it turns to yellow. The colored yellow fruits can be harvested but Roger said that some aren't really that ripen yet so its is best to wait when it turns red.

In 2007, they started the coffee plantation starting with the barangay captains who were also given proper training. In 2008, they purchased the planting materials in Tagum City.

Within 6 years since it started, Asturias aims to fill 500 hectares with coffee. As of press time, they have planted around 267 hectares already.

And so we visited Brgy. Lunas where Brgy Capt. Paulina Buhia shared to us his roasted coffee and took us to her coffee tress. She said she was one of the few who immediately heed the call of Mayor Adlawan to plant. She planted an initial of 400 trees and today she has around 1,000 coffee tress growing. She said it is best to strat plating on rainy season.

She waited for two years to harvest the first fruits and now she is enjoying her morning with freshly brewed coffee. 

To get to Asturias, take a V-Hire ride from Ayala terminal and drop-off at Poblacion. Tricyles will take you to Brgy. Lunas. Just tell the driver to drop you in the barangay captains house. 

(For those who wants to visit Asturias and inquire about their coffee mania. Call the LGU at 4649042/4649106.)

Seedlings located in the town's nursery

When it already ripe, the bean is squeezed out.

It is then dried, roasted and grounded.

Coffee for everyone right from the backyard.

The author, a coffee lover.

And to show more love, here are some intimate photos of my coffee plantation tour:

The flower doesn't necessarily mean that it will bear fruit. For Brgy. Capt. Paulina, she waited for two years.

Oh! If I could only bring it home.

Yellowish.. almost there!

Bundle of joy!

Now, it's ready to pick!