 |
| (L-R) Cherry Cruz, Philippine Coffee Quality Competition Technical Working Group Member and Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation CEO; Hon. Director Junibert de Sagun, Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) Department of Agriculture (DA); Mary An Mada, Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region IV-A; Ronald Yu, Philippine Coffee Guild Executive Director; Dr. Mel Garcia, Philippine Coffee Guild Chairperson ; Mr. T.J. Ryan, Chief-of-Party, ACDI/VOCA PhilCAFE Project (Image Source: Orange Magazine TV/Philippine Coffee Guild) |
The Philippine Coffee Expo (PCE) 2023 is expected to gather the country’s biggest coffee industry players on June 2-4, 2023 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Metro Manila for a three-day event that will feature the latest industry products, exciting trends, international coffee experts, and a world-class exhibition of Philippine and international coffee companies. At the media launch held last March 30, 2023 at the Romulo Café here in the city, the Philippine Coffee Guild (PCG), the event’s main organizer, said that PCE 2023 is expected to gather more than 1,000 participants at the plenary sessions, featuring more than 70 booths, dozens of concessionaires, and more than 6,000 visitors in three days.
“We are expecting a diverse group of participants that represent the key players of the Philippine coffee value chain and market systems from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao,” said PCG executive director Ron Yu. He added that the expo’s plenary session will include Philippine and international speakers who will discuss coffee industry trends, business opportunities and challenges, coffee quality, marketing, and the increasing demand for Philippine coffee, among others. “We are encouraging everyone to join us at the World Trade Center to experience and taste the best coffee products from the Philippines and converge with coffee farmers, coffee producers, business owners, organizations, baristas, roasters, and coffee enthusiasts from all over the Philippines,” Yu said. He explained that for its second year, the PCE is embracing the theme “Brewing The Future” as the industry anticipates an exciting future for Philippine coffee and prepares for the challenges and opportunities that the future holds.
This year’s PCE will be the culminating event for the annual Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC). The PCQC winners will be officially announced during the PCE. There are about a hundred specialty Arabica and fine Robusta entries of coffee farmers from different parts of the coffee-producing regions of the Philippines. PCG will lead an auction of PCQC winners at a later date. “We also want to highlight the inspiring stories of our hardworking coffee producers and farmers as we support them in the coffee business industry,” he added. Throughout the 3-day event, different coffee-related exhibitors will showcase their products and services for those who are looking for suppliers while exciting barista competitions will be happening simultaneously at the competition area. A business-matching area will also be set up where buyers and sellers can sit down and close business deals. During the first 2 days, various topics will be presented by local and international coffee experts in the plenary area and pocket talks will happen in the breakout sessions. On the last day of the expo, PCE will host the first-ever Roasters and Producers Forum in the morning followed by the awarding of the PCQC winning farmers in the afternoon.
The expo will be attended by guest international speakers, champion baristas, award-winning farmers, coffee scientists, and other special guest experts. The PCE 2023 is sponsored by Concept Specialist Inc., Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, Global Pacific Distribution Network Corporation, and ACDI/VOCA PhilCAFE; supported by the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Agriculture, and the PhilCAFE Project; implemented by ACDI/VOCA; and funded by the US Department of Agriculture. PCG is a non-profit progressive coffee industry organization in the Philippines. Since 2019, the organization envisions an inclusive, unified, and sustainable Philippine coffee quality, culture, and economy. Its mission is to be a catalyst for mobilizing and building consensus among stakeholders in the value chain and to advocate for the growth and advancement of the Philippine coffee industry.
