Bote Central shows us the journey civet coffee takes from the tree to its newest café in Makati City!
For Immediate Release: On February 15 and 17, 2011, select members from the nation’s leading media outlets joined environmentally conscious, Bote Central Corporation, on a two-day hike through the backcountry of Batangas to witness first hand how the beans from the most sought after Alamid Coffee are harvested.
A beverage touted by many to be the best of in the world, Coffee Alamid is a Philippine brew collected in the forest from the droppings of the Paradoxorus Philippinensis or Civet mongoose.
Attendees gathered at 7AM in front of Recreational Outdoor eXchange (R.O.X.), Fort Bonifacio, High Street, where they were transported to the base of Mt. Malarayat. After a brief warm-up stretch, the group embarked on a one and a half hour, 1 KM hike up the mountain through the steep, narrow, man-made paths to the area where the wild nocturnal civets come out at night to feast on only the ripest and sweetest coffee cherries.
The hike was lead by the local coffee farmers who are currently working in partnership with Bote Central to collect the civet droppings. In addition to providing job opportunities, Paolo Reyes, Chief Operations Officer for Bote Central, believes the tie-up is equally as important for environmental purposes, stating, “Wild civet coffee gathering not only provides the farmers with livelihood but also teaches the (Coffee Alamid) gatherers the value of protecting the environment by allowing them to earn and live off from it in a long-term and sustainable way.”
Following the hike, the group headed over to Sto. Nino, Lipa where they were introduced to the members of the Malarayat Coffee Farmers and Consumer Cooperative (MACOFA) who treated its guests to a cup of Batangas’ freshest brew and demonstrated first hand how the coffee beans locally harvested are dried and roasted.
Over the years, Bote Central has worked with communities of coffee farmers witnessing first hand the imbalance in the coffee supply chain. As a result, it has become a part of the Company’s advocacy to create a fair trade environment where coffee farmers can benefit from their own product. In line with its philosophy, Bote Central began producing its own roasting machines, one of which was installed in Sto. Nino.
“Roasting empowers communities to earn more from what they plant. It gives them incentive to plant more and improve on the coffee that they produce. Eventually this would lead the Philippines to become a player in World Coffee industry again, “ states Mr. Reyes.
In addition to Batangas, Bote Central has installed its machines in 13 other unique community-roasting facilities sites throughout the Philippines from Sagada to Jolo.
The tours ended back in R.O.X. at 8PM, where the members were brought to Café Alamid Xpress, Bote Central’s first freestanding coffee shop in Metro Manila, to enjoy a cup of civet coffee after a long days hike.
R.O.X., a member of the Primer Group of Companies and currently Southeast Asia’s biggest outdoor superstore, opened its doors to let more people experience Alamid coffee right at the center of its bustling flagship store. R.O.X., who has been at the forefront of adventure and tourism, is also bent on promoting a unique coffee concept.
“Alamid Café Xpress is truly a welcome addition to our store. We feel that the café would provide our customers a more holistic shopping experience while advocating programs for our local coffee farmers. It is a novel way in getting your usual coffee fix, ” says Ruby Palma, Assistant Vice President of R.O.X.
When asked about the future, Mr. Reyes replied, “We want to propagate this community of roasters and gatherers all over the Philippines. Likewise, we want to have a rich variety of coffee in the Philippines that is hopefully known worldwide.”
For additional information, please visit Alamid Coffee’s website at: www.alamidcafexpress.com.
About Bote Central
Bote Central is a family-owned corporation established on March 22, 2002 with a vision of working to Clean & Save the Environment by using agro forest products for livelihood.
About Café Alamid Xpress
Alamid Café Xpress officially opened its doors on February 8, 2011 at the Recreational Outdoor eXchange (R.O.X.) in B1 Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City, Philippines. Alamid Café Xpress is a reflection of its parent company’s business philosophy of working with communities throughout the process of producing its coffee from the soil to the trees to the cup. Alamid Café Xpress represents a vibrant and active community of people celebrating the adventurous lifestyles that they lead or more so, a social network of real people bound together by a café that believes in its advocacy to fairly source, process and promote Alamid Coffee.
About The Primer Group of Companies
The Primer Group of Companies was founded in 1985 and is in the business of distributing, retailing and licensing consumer and industrial products in the Philippines through its affiliates. The Primer Group is composed of three major business groups: Consumer products such as footwear, apparel, bags, luggage, accessories, etc., Industrial Products, and Consumer Services. With close to 100 freestanding / proprietarily owned stores, the Primer Group of Companies’ corporate vision is to become the leader in the global distribution and innovation of premium goods and services.