Nestlé recognizes outstanding coffee farmers

MANILA, Philippines - In line with its commitment to support the country’s coffee industry, Nestlé Philippines, Inc. (NPI) was one with the municipality of Amadeo, Cavite in honoring the town’s exceptional farmers during the recent 12th Pahimis Festival, an annual gathering of Amadeo residents in thanksgiving for its main produce, coffee.

From the 26 nominated coffee farmers representing each barangay in the town, dubbed the “Coffee Capital of the Philippines,” Eliseo Bautista from Barangay Banaybanay was named Most Outstanding Farmer. Bautista received a Nestlé gift bag while the other nominees were given consolation prizes.

The Most Outstanding Farmer award is spearheaded by the Amadeo local government, and aims to encourage farmers to improve the conditions of their lands and be more efficient in resource management.

“Amadeo coffee growers and suppliers have always been an important part of Nestlé’s coffee supply chain,” said Art Baria, Nestlé Philippines assistant vice president and Agri-Services Department head, adding  “We look forward to continuing our engagements with them and the rest of Amadeo’s coffee community to meet our shared goal of strengthening the Philippine coffee industry.”

Nestlé presently has various collaborations with Amadeo’s Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) including technical assistance programs and extension activities for coffee farmer, which focus on yield improvement and proper farm management.

Further, Nestlé started the implementation of the Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C) Program in Amadeo last year. The program was established by the 4C Association, an international organization which aims to ensure sustainable agricultural practices into mainstream coffee production.

Farmers who pass the 4C verification process are given license to sell 4C-compliant coffee and receive monetary incentives designed to benefit certified farmers. Around 88 farmers from Cavite have been verified by October 2013, with 51 of them hailing from Amadeo.

Nestlé’s programs and partnerships supporting the Amadeo coffee community are part of the local implementation of the NESCAFÉ Plan, Nestle’s global initiative that supports responsible coffee farming, production, and consumption.