LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Coffee growers in this capital town started getting their share from the sale of coffee by a famous convenient store in its various outlets in the different parts of the country.
Mayor Romeo Salda said that he was able to receive Wednesday from Henry and Sons the initial amount of P274,000 representing the share of the La Trinidad coffee growers from the sale of the coffee products of the different outlets of the 711 convenient store in the different parts of the country over the past 5 weeks.
He explained that Henry and Sons entered into an agreement with local coffee growers for the company to source out their coffee beans from them and for the said beans to be supplied to the management of the convenient store for eventual processing and serving as coffee for their clients.
Under the agreement, the local growers will be entitled to a P0.05 centavo share from every cup of coffee that will be sold by the different outlets of the convenient store that are located in the different parts of the country.
“We hope that the initial share to be turned over to the coffee growers will serve as an inspiration to them to further improve and increase their production of coffee beans to fulfill their obligations and for them to reap the fruits of the success of their contract with the company,” Mayor Salda stressed.
He added that the company got in touch with the different coffee growers in the municipality to be able to produce the prescribed minimum requirement of coffee beans which will be supplied to the convenient store for processing of coffee to be served to the clients of the convenient store.
According to him, Henry and Sons is looking for a 1,000-square meter lot in the municipality where it could put up a coffee processing plant that will use locally produced coffee beans that will be ready for distribution to its various clients aside from the chain of convenient stores.
Salda revealed that Henry and Sons was one of the major sponsors of the Cordillera Coffee Congress and the Search for Outstanding Coffee Farmer where it provided the P100,000 cash reward for the winner of the said contest that was coordinated with the local government.
Aside from the famous strawberry, La Trinidad is also known as one of the major producers of quality Arabica coffee beans which is being supplied to various coffee companies patronizing the Arabica coffee beans for the processed coffee served in their establishments.
Salda claimed that the initial share of the farmers will be used by the organization of coffee farmers to purchase their depulping and roasting machines to further improve the quality of the coffee beans being produced by the coffee growers from the barangays where coffee farmers are located.
With the initial success of the agreement, the local chief executive is optimistic that more farmers in the town will be encouraged to seriously take into consideration the sustainable production of coffee in their places to increase the supply of coffee beans for local and overseas consumers.
By HENT