We’re celebrating seven years of Agnep Heritage Coffee! It feels like just yesterday, we were publishing our first blog post, connecting with our early supporters, and sharing our passion for sustainable coffee. In our first post, we wrote:
READ: Agnep pushes sustainability through its shade-grown coffee, Feature story in the Business World, January 13, 2025
This will be a long journey. I know it will take three to five years to harvest the Arabica beans and meanwhile, our family will need to study more about coffee farming, from bean to brew and everything in between. Our learning curve is steep.
What have we achieved?
1. We planted close to 10,000 trees.
2018 -1,200 coffee seedlings
2019- 2,620
2020- 1,000
2021- 2,500
2022- 2,000
2023- 530
2024- 117
Total coffee trees: 9,967
2. One of our goals is to encourage a future generation of coffee growers in Benguet using sustainable agricultural processes. We helped organize the Kabatangan Coffee Growers in 2023. Soon, planting of new coffee plants will start.
3. We started harvesting in 2020.
December 2020 marked our first harvest, two years after the initial planting. We were thrilled to collect roughly 20 kilos of cherries, but our inexperience became evident. With no knowledge of proper processing techniques, we attempted to sun-dry the cherries. However, the afternoon rains proved to be our downfall, and the entire harvest succumbed to mold.
In our second harvest season, we decided to hire a consultant to help us with the post-harvest processing. Michael Harris Conlin of Henry & Sons Inc. and 2019 Philippine National Barista Champion and Top 15th World Barista Championship Semi Finalist, was the family’s choice.
The investment paid off because we avoided resource-intensive experimentation.
Harvest output of cherries:
2021- 300 kilos
2022- 500 kilos
2023- 1 tons
4. Our coffee wins Bronze in the Signature Coffee Award: Brewing at the Global Coffee Championships
We at Agnep Heritage Farms can proudly say we grow award winning coffee. Michael Harris Conlin relayed the good news that the washed reds (from our first harvest ) used for the 2022 Global Coffee Championship, Signature Coffee Award: Brewing won a Bronze. The competition was held in Kintex, Korea and was determined by panel of 12 judges. This helped us with our sales for our second harvest.
5. Expansion of coffee products.
Aside from roasted whole coffee beans, we introduced drip coffee in 2023 and Cascara Tea in 2024. Also, we started selling green coffee beans to coffee shops in Metro Manila: Angkan Coffee and The Giving Cafe.
The Future
Expansion of shade-grown coffee cultivation: Given our emphasis on shade-grown coffee and sustainable agriculture, Agnep Heritage Farms is looking to expand our coffee cultivation while maintaining our commitment to environmental responsibility. This could involve increasing the area under shade-grown coffee and introducing new varieties suitable for their unique agroforestry system.
Continuous improvement in quality and sustainability: Agnep Heritage Farms is committed to continuous improvement in their coffee quality and sustainability practices. This could involve refining our cultivation and processing techniques, exploring new technologies and innovations in coffee production, and seeking certifications or partnerships that further validate their commitment to sustainability.
Market expansion : While currently focused on Metro Manila and specialty coffee enthusiasts, Agnep Heritage Farms would like to seek opportunities to expand our market reach. This could involve developing new distribution channels, participating in coffee events and exhibitions, and looking for more coffee shops interested in our green coffee beans.
Seven years ago, Agnep Heritage Farms was just a dream taking root. Today, with nearly 10,000 coffee trees planted, a thriving community of growers, award-winning beans, and an expanding product line, that dream has blossomed into a reality. We’ve learned from setbacks, celebrated victories, and most importantly, remained committed to sustainable practices and high-quality coffee.
Our second harvest, 2021-2022
As we look ahead, we’re excited to expand our cultivation, refine our processes, and bring the unique flavors of Benguet’s shade-grown coffee to even more coffee lovers. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Here’s to many more years of sharing our passion for sustainable coffee that’s good for both people and the planet. Cheers to the next chapter! ☕️