\u201cI am genuinely anxious, yet I am joyful,\u201d expresses Curve Coffee Collaborators (CURVE) Founder and CEO Cherry Cruz regarding her emotions upon making the highest offer in PCQC (Philippine Coffee Quality Competition) history and emerging victorious.<\/p>\n
The previous day, Rodyio Tacdoy, a 22-year-old cultivator from Benguet, clinched Top 1 in the Arabica category, his beans achieving a cupping score of 84.38.<\/p>\n
Unbeknownst to Mr. Tacdoy, his extraordinary triumph had already initiated a series of events.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the moment we\u2019ve anticipated for meaningful intervention in the North,\u201d conveys Ms. Cruz. The northern area, she notes, has been \u201ca region that has been deprived of awards for a long time\u201d and possesses \u201cheirloom varieties at risk of disappearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere arrives a courageous yet modest, dynamic, and motivated young farmer\u2026 with years of guidance from his father, affection for their land, and the ambition to effect change. We had to back him.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n As luck would have it, Mr. Tacdoy was positioned directly behind CURVE\u2019s Qits Nalugon, wondering why the green bean seeker hadn\u2019t been participating in the bidding throughout the auction. He was anticipating.<\/p>\n \u201cTop 1, final 3 seconds, doon lang ako nagtaas ng <\/em>paddle. Doon na nag-start yung <\/em>rally, until umabot na ganoong kalaki ang <\/em>offer,\u201d recounts Mr. Nalugon.<\/p>\n Heart racing from the soaring bid, he remained confident: \u201cYun lang talaga yung hinihintay ko. <\/em>Out of the 12 masasabi mo talagang deserve niyang maging #1.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n At the concluding auction price of P9,900, Mr. Tacdoy earned over one million pesos for 117kg of his award-winning, record-setting Benguet Arabica.<\/p>\n This is \u201ca wager for the future of Philippine coffee,\u201d Ms. Cruz describes, one that she is always prepared to take.<\/p>\n \u201cI informed Rodyio that it\u2019s feasible for him to evolve from being a producer to a processor of coffees from other farmers to aid his community,\u201d Ms. Cruz shared.<\/p>\n Mr. Tacdoy\u2019s mentoring with CURVE is in progress, having attended a post-harvest class in Bukidnon. He learned optimal farm practices and interacted with fellow young, progressive farmers like Marvin and Eljean Dagohoy. He acquired quality assessment knowledge from Mr. Nalugon and received agricultural insights from none other than Renjie Lucas, who possesses extensive expertise in coffee farming interventions from his work with the USDA-funded ACDI\/VOCA-PhilCAFE (Philippine Coffee Advancement and Farm Enterprise) project.<\/p>\n This type of sustainable, impactful transformation for the local coffee landscape is the \u201cbet with significance\u201d that Ms. Cruz consistently pursues. The only other PCQC 2025 coffee they placed a bid for was Samuel Ochea Jr.\u2019s Lanao del Sur Arabica, Top 7.<\/p>\n \u201cNumerous BARMM Farmers have been excluded from multiple trainings and farm interventions for years. Yet, they cultivate marvelous coffees. So why not provide them with the platform and recognition they merit?\u201d she expresses in her Facebook post. \u201cI hope this victorious moment becomes a lightbulb moment for countless others.\u201d<\/p>\n Both single origin, proudly Filipino coffees were presented for tasting at the recently held WOFEX Manila F&B expo.<\/p>\n \u201cIt lives up to the reputation. It stands neck and neck with what I\u2019ve sampled elsewhere,\u201d shares a coffee aficionado regarding Tacdoy\u2019s coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cKaya niyang makipagsabayan<\/em> globally. Yung<\/em> amount na ibinayad mo dito<\/em>, it\u2019s entirely worth it,\u201d remarks another.<\/p>\n Additionally, Mr. Tacdoy\u2019s coffee is being sold at bid price: P9,900\/kg or P495 for 50g, P990 for 100g, and P2,475 for 250g.<\/p>\n All proceeds from Tacdoy\u2019s coffee will be directed to the young farmer, to be reinvested into his farm, facilitating the growth of his business.<\/p>\n \u201cMaraming, maraming salamat po sa CURVE. Malaking tulong po sa akin kasi makakapag-elevate po tayo ng <\/em>facility para makapag-process muli ng ganoong <\/em>quality ng kape,\u201d <\/em>he proudly states.<\/p>\n With Love Your Origin at their essence, CURVE\u2014with its own farms, roastery, and caf\u00e9s\u2014enhances the lives of individuals across the Philippine coffee ecosystem consistently.<\/p>\n This achievement has been acknowledged by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI), a non-profit organization located in California. They honored Cruz as Educator of the Year (2025), making her the first Filipino to earn the esteemed accolade. They cite her \u201cprofound impact\u201d on her community, sector, country, and even for the entire \u201cSoutheast Asian community in coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n CQI Director for Education Resources, Emma Sage, presents Cherry Cruz the Educator of the Year award for her invaluable contributions to coffee communities throughout the region.<\/p>\n Mr. Tacdoy is now a part of that ever-expanding circle of Ms. Cruz\u2019s positive influence. And he is poised for his moment on the coffee platform.<\/p>\n Follow Curve Coffee Collaborators on Facebook<\/a> and on Instagram<\/a>. Discover more at www.curve.coffee<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Spotlight is BusinessWorld\u2019s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld\u2019s audience by publishing their stories on the BusinessWorld website. For further information, send an email to\u00a0online@bworldonline.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Join us on Viber at\u00a0https:\/\/bit.ly\/3hv6bLA<\/a>\u00a0for more updates and subscribe to BusinessWorld\u2019s titles to access exclusive content via\u00a0www.bworld-x.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bworldonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-CURVE-facility-and-partner-farmers-in-Bukidnon-scaled.jpg\")
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