Tagum City is set to celebrate the vibrant coffee in the city during the Tagum Coffee Festival on February 27 to March 5, 2023.
“The main purpose of the event is to celebrate the vibrant coffee culture in the city. To give appreciation to our local coffee farmers, suppliers, coffeehouses, and all other coffee stakeholders. And also to celebrate Tagum Coffee Association’s very first anniversary,” Girlie Mae Junsay-Malalis, president of the Tagum Coffee Association (TCA) and owner of Kuan Coffee, said in an online interview with Kape Diaries.
The festival will be staged at Robinsons Tagum where a Coffee Fair and Trade Show, dubbed as Kapetirya, will also be held.
Malalis said around 20 members of TCA will be participating in the event. Of this number, five coffee shops will be having a booth — Tea Barrel, Suyop Kofi, Tastea Cafe, Kofebadi, and Kuan Coffee.
“Coffee Enthusiasts can expect a lot of coffee conversations from fellow enthusiasts. Aspiring coffee entrepreneurs can explore different suppliers and learn about the business with coffee shop owners,” Malalis said.
Lendilou Flores Loon, whose coffee beans won second place in the arabica category of the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) in 2021 and was among the Outstanding Young Coffee Farmer Awardees in PCQC 2022, will be sharing her success story as a coffee farmer.
Meanwhile, Gina Ellorango-Ableitinger, founder of Kaffee Arena and one of the leaders in the coffee industry in Davao, will be giving a Barista 101 where she will tackle coffee history, artisan brewing, and espresso making.
The talks of Loon and Ellorango-Ableitinger will be held on March 4.
Also on March 4 are product demonstrations by Concept Specialist, Inc., Prokrate International, and Bakewell Tagum.
Competitions are also lined up for coffee professionals on March 5.
“Coffee professionals can test their hard-earned skills by competing in their respective disciplines ie, Barista Cup, Brewdown, Latte Art Competition,” Malalis said.
The Barista Cup will be open to all interested participants. The champion will bring home P6,000, Delonghi Pump Espresso Maker ECP35.31 (worth P13,800), and Sanremo T-Shirts. Second place will win P3,000 and the third place will get P1,500.
The Brewdown is also open to all interested participants. The champion will take home P6,000 and a Fellow Stagg EKG (worth P10,500). Second place will win P3,000 and the third place will get P1,500.
The Latte Art Throwdown will have two categories — open and for TCA members. In the open category, the champion will win P6,000, Delonghi Pump Espresso Maker ECP35.31 (worth P13,800), and Sanremo T-Shirts. The second place will be awarded P3,000 and the third place will get P1,500.
In the TCA Member Category of the Latte Art Throwdown, the first-place winner will receive P3,000 while the second and third-place winners will receive P2,000 and P1,000, respectively.
The Tagum Coffee Festival 2023 is supported by the City Government of Tagum, Samahan ng Industriya sa Kaunlaran ng Pagkakape sa DavNor (Sikap DavNor), DTI-Davao del Norte, and the Tagum Tourism and Cultural Office.
The festival is powered by Sanremo Coffee Machines Philippines, Prokrate International Trading, Bakewell Tagum, Concept Specialist Incorporated, PUQpress Philippines, DeLonghi, Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, Curve Coffee Collaborators, Torani, Catcher Gourmet Philippines, Marcafé Gran Caffè, Casadio Espresso Machine, and Espresso Italiano.
It is brought to us by Humptea Dumptea’s Coffee and Milktea Supplies – Authorized Distributor, Top Creamery, and DaVinci Gourmet.
The festival is held in collaboration with Object Depot, MilkLab, Mugshots Coffee Roasters, Kanto Coffee, Xi Yen Cup Printing, Maison Croifé Bakery & Roastery, and Kaffee Arena by FROG Kaffee Roastery.
