In a farm tour last March 13 — the 10th since the program was launched — the company "had a mix of Japanese and Filipinos from all walks of life, who joined in because they wanted a better appreciation of coffee beyond the brew," said Figaro CEO Pacita Juan.
The "coffee tours" began with a group of friends, consumers and some coffee aficionados who met at the Figaro Coffee Shop in Makati City, where a cup was enough to rouse their curiosity, Juan said.
"I took them to the farms at Amadeo, Cavite (where Figaro has cultivated two of the nine hectares into a purely organic coffee, papaya, buko and banana plantation) under the care of Figaro and our partners. The farm tours are done between February and March when coffee trees flower and bloom each year. Each batch of farm visitors number 50, so with 10 batches completed, I can easily say we have toured and educated 500 at least," Juan said.
For July and August, Figaro has lined up several batches of tree planting activities, also in Amadeo, Cavite for those that have either joined the farm tour or even for newcomers, who just want to plant and put their names on the tree.
Figaro Foundation launched such farm tours not just to create an awareness of how coffee is grown but more to make people aware that agriculture is still the very essence of life and that sooner or later, "we all have to go back to agriculture, if we are to survive as a people," Juan explained.
By having people get interested in farming – whether or not it is coffee – then we are able to ensure the sustainability of local food supply, Juan said.
Figaro wants to educate as many young kids as possible "because theirs is the generation that know only instant coffee and instant food and junks like doughnuts and they do not know how to eat suman, binatog and puto, which used to be served in the coffee shops of the olden times," Juan reminisced.
Conducting the coffee "crash course" is Juan and Dr. Andy Mojica, Figaro’s research consultant and Director of Cavite State University’s National Coffee Research Center.
What started out as just a coffee farm tour has evolved into a visit of other activities of Figaro’s partners in the educational campaign the vermiculture facility established in June 2004 that is now producing organic fertilizers; a trip to the barako nursery at the Cavite State University and the Figaro Barako Pilot Farm, where a sumptuous feast await the participants.
To conclude the farm tour, participants are toured to Ilog Maria Honey Bee of the Magsaysay family and (beginning 2005) the wild organic coffee forest of the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction, Figaro’s partner located at Indang, Cavite.
Figaro has also signed a partnership agreement with the World Wildlife Fund (Kabang Kalikasan ng Pilipinas) where WWF incorporated in Figaro’s farm tours a visit to the bird watching facility at IIRR.
To join the farm tour, just register with your contact numbers at any of the 48 Figaro stores, Juan said.