BAGUIO CITY – Support local with Highland Brew, a local coffee shop that advocates for Cordilleran coffee beans; offering drinks where coffee still tastes like coffee.
Highland Brew, whose main branch is located at the Sky Garden, SM Baguio, was founded by Baguio entrepreneur Shaun Marrero, who is now the shop’s president, together with four partners in the said business.
The coffee shop was initially started as a means to support local coffee beans by sourcing beans grown in the Cordillera region. This explains the shop’s name, while the offered coffees are named after the famous mountains of Cordillera. Such as Mt. Amuyao Mocha Crumble, Mt. Kalugong Caramel Flan, Mt. Pulag Cloud, and many more.
Marrero said that aside from promoting Cordillera coffee beans, this can also be an opportunity to give work to other people. Meanwhile, Highland Brew Supervisor, Jeff Gallegos, mentioned how local coffee shops that patronize local coffee producers can aid local farmers as imported coffee beans are now prevalent.
“Kung mapapansin din natin ang ibang coffee shops, nag-aangkat din ng coffee, so yung mga farmers natin ay parang mawawalan ng sigla para magtanim. Nakakagaan sa loob na may nagsusuporta sa mga local farmers natin”, Gallegos said.
Being an Igorot himself, Marrero sourced their coffee beans from local farmers he personally knew, ever since they started their coffee business. They buy the green coffee beans and Highland Brew roasts it themselves.
They mentioned that one of the advantages of sourcing from local farmers is the use of less pesticide. Which is one of the important factors that makes quality coffee.
Gallegos proudly affirms that their coffee offers a real coffee experience that can be most appreciated by coffee lovers. Especially, in the Philippine setting where, in some cafés, the coffee’s artificial sweetener is more dominant in taste than the inherent bitterness of coffee.
“Kapag coffee lover ka talaga, magugustuhan mo yung kape namin. … unlike other coffee shops, you can still taste the coffee despite sweeteners,” he said.
Gallegos observed that most teenagers prefer sweet drinks. He mentioned that non-coffee drinkers will think that their coffees are bitter, but coffee lovers will be able to recognize the taste of coffee with its bitterness.
Further, Gallegos said that they will not compromise their coffee quality just to join the trend of too much sweeteners or ice.
“Kasi, anong sense ng nagbebenta ka ng local coffee beans, pino-promote mo yung coffee, but when it comes to your drink, na-oover power siya ng sweeteners. So when it comes to drinks, strict ang standard namin and nagla-calibrate kami.”
Highland Brew reaches their target market through different marketing strategies that do not involve changing the quality of their coffee.
“May market ka naman, bakit mo isa-sacrifice yung standard mo na alam mong ikasisira mo para lang ma-reach sila,” Gallegos said.
Several customers can attest to how good Highland Brew’s coffees are, such as Yunika Adawe who is most especially fond of Highland Brew’s black coffee. The menu described the black coffee as, ‘no frills, just plain black coffee the way you like it’.
Being aware of Highland Brew’s advocacy through a vlogger and subtle hints from the coffee shop’s name and the name of its products, Adawe said that she keeps going back not only because of the coffee itself but it is also her way of supporting locals.
With the opening of the Legarda branch, Cordillera coffee is not the only thing that the branch offers as it introduces Cordilleran inspired foods, such as Cordilleran smoked meat and longganisa.
Aside from Highland Brew’s branches in SM Baguio and Legarda, they also have another branch located at SM Dagupan. They currently have plans for future expansion that will offer Cordilleran foods aside from coffee.
Highland Brew is currently struggling with the number of their suppliers, but they also see this problem as an opportunity to both empower more farmers and expand their advocacy by promoting other local coffee beans outside Cordillera in the near future.
Experience how coffee grown by local farmers of the Cordillera tastes, like with Highland Brew, and if you like it strong, it really is for you. By Peachy Clarisse L. Tillay
