Blog #149: From Farm To Table | This Is How The Tuburan Coffee Farm Produces An Organic Coffee

Happy Wednesday Hivers!

My passion for gardening had died when I moved in the City and lived for more than 15 years. Since we don't own even a small portion of land in the City by the time I moved, I started to distance myself from my passion. Well, if I really want, I could still pursue gardening; however, I find it very hassle because of limited resources I have in the City. Instead of finding ways to grasp the thing that gives me joy, I quitted gardening and started learning new things. Did I regret? Not that much because I've used my spare time to explore and learn various things.

When I started blogging on hive and came across the #AgriculturalMindset and #Hivegarden Communities, that was the time I started to miss gardening. There was a burning desire I'd felt that time to get back into my passion; in fact, that feeling leads me to search a farm that I could visit to give me a basic education about the new methods on gardening.

After I'd visited in Arapal Farm, there was a tiny voice inside me that kept whispering...visit another farm...visit another farm. Since I'd learned many things in Arapal Farm, it seems that I was addicted to visit another farm in order for me to learn different ways and techniques on farming/gardening.

Few days after I visited Arapal Farm, I searched on the internet for another farm to visit and suddenly I stumbled on Tuburan Coffee Farm and I've read that the Municipality of Tuboran will soon to be Cebu's Coffee Capital.

According to The Freeman, about 1,000 farmers in Tuburan are now enjoying the fruits of the government-assisted coffee plantation, which covers 2,850 hectares in 16 baranggays.

These 2 women caught my attention as I arrived in the vicinity. I observed them first before I came closer and greeted them. They were busy planting.

One of them explained to me that instead of using seeds to grow coffee beans, they've grown cutting coffee because it only takes approximately 18 months to bear fruits. Actually, I included it in my previous post.

After planting those stems, they will cover it with thick plastic for 2 months. Since I'd driven with curiousity, I asked them why there is a plastic cover. Their answer made me astonish as they explained to me that the moisture will help the coffee to grow. In order to produce a moisture, they will cover it properly with the thick plastic. After hearing the first explanation I can't find an exact words to say since I haven't heard it before or maybe when my T.H.E teacher explained it in the class I was absent or was not paying attention (lol). Or I just forgot everything I've learned about gardening when I was young.

After 2 months, they will transfer it to the plastic pots and put it in the nursery but these coffee plants would stay in the nursery until 5-6 months. That is the right age to plant.

While we were in the nursery, the head farmer explained to me that there are 4 selections needed to produce robusta coffee beans; namely FRT 11; FRT 23; FRT 17; FRT 65. Although I understood his explanation that in order to produce robusta coffee beans, the 4 selections should be present; however, I could not explain the process how they will do it.

They organized the plants properly with tags for them to quickly recognize the selection of the coffee and to avoid any mistakes.

The land preparation should have done few weeks before the coffee planting so that the nutrients will be thoroughly absorbed in the soil. During the land preparation, the farmers will remove the weeds and clear the land first. Since there is a recommended planting distances, the farmers should also consider this crucial thing before making holes. After holing, it should be backfilled with organic fertilizer. They don't use any forms of chemical.

After few months of planting coffee, this is what it looks like.

And there were white flowers bloom.

Once these flowers will die, the color turns into black. And you've noticed that there is a tiny cherries will come out.

With proper sunlight and water the coffee tree will eventually bear fruits. The fruits will turn into red when it is ripen, that is the right age to harvest.

After the harvest, the ripe coffee cherries will undergo a natural dry-process. This process will take 4~5 full sunshine days.

Once it is already dry, they will put it into coffee huller before passing into the next process.

The next process is the manual sorting. As I arrived in the sorting area, there were 3 men who did the manual sorting. They diligently separate the reject from good in order to produce a high quality coffee beans.

After the manual sorting process, this is the Tuburan Coffee Farm high quality beans. This is ready for roasting.

The head farmer showed the sample of Green Beans (for roasting) and the Brown Beans (already roasted). And he told me while smiling that I should not wondered why they called it green beans instead of brown beans because he himself can't also explain why.

This is the roasting area.

This is the grinding area. After grinding, they will do the last process and it is the packing process.

So here's the finished product of Tuburan Coffee Farm. It comes from 2 types; the Drip Coffee and the Ground Coffee Beans.

The Pride of Tuburan Cebu.

I was touched because after our tour they'd prepared coffee for us. Actually that is one of the Filipino traits, we are hospitable.

Although the place is a little bit far and the road is not that safe but the effort, the time, the energy I exerted was all worth it. It was really a productive day.

Have you learned something from my post today? Let me know by dropping a comment below.

I recycled some of my photos because I find it useful for today's content.

Thank you for reading and see you on my next blog. Cheers!

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Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.

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