BAGUIO CITY – Senior trade and industry officers and ranking officials of the local government formally launched the first-ever “KAPEtirya,’ a local coffee shop, in the country that will serve as a venue to aggressively promote local coffee products.
The “KAPEtirya’ is based at the Crops and Productivity Center jointly owned by the local government, the Liga ng mga Barangay and the Cordillera office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-CAR) located along Upper Session road.
Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez said that the agency is in close coordination with veteran franchise developers to conceptualize the methods on how to franchise the coffee shop so that the same will be franchised to interested entrepreneurs in the different parts of the country to help in advancing the state of the country’s coffee industry.
He revealed that the proposed franchise of the ‘KapEtirya’ will be either mobile or stationary or both depending on how the drafters of its franchise will see the viability of the same for it to be able to be patronized in the different parts of the country.
‘KAPEtirya’ was already registered by the DTI with the agency’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in preparation for its franchising once it will be made available by the developers who will be coming from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and a well-known Japanese food store.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan commended the whole DTI family led by Secretary Lopez and DTI-CAR regional director Myrna Pablo for their consolidated efforts in helping promote coffee as one of the thriving industries in the country due to the enormous demand for coffee in different parts of the country.
He emphasized that the use of the government property to promote local products like coffee among other food products from the different parts of the region will definitely be supported by the local government because it is one way of helping local entrepreneurs market their produce.
The interim operator of the ‘KAPEtirya’ will be Ervin Pangwi of IL Padrino restaurant who vowed to contribute the needed efforts to market a brand for the local coffee industry and to maximize the use of whatever available spaces within the center that will entice people to patronize the newly opened coffee shop right at the heart of the city.
Earlier, the DTI-CAR initially launched the government-owned property as a One Town, One Product (OTOP) center and one of the identified creative hubs in the city to support the enlistment of Baguio city in the elite list of creative cities under the Creative Cities Network of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
DTI-CAR regional director Pablo was named as the head of the agency’s national industry cluster on coffee having been the prime mover of the annual conduct of the Philippine Coffee Congress which was held several times in Baguio city.
The Crops and Productivity was built through the initiative of former Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) resident and incumbent Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr. who was able to access the needed funds for the project from former Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago in the late 1990s.
By Dexter A. See
Banner photo by DTI
