Beyond Unlimited Thoughts: A trip to the Coffee Farm

Hello Readers! I am pleased to share with you, special moments I had with my friends from our recent unforgettable trip to Davao City. This trip was very significant to us because of our common bond, our love for Coffee and now a new found interest -Coffee farming!

From Manila to Davao City, we traveled north to our destination - Tagum City. We drove past some plantations and houses all the way to Nescafé Experimental Demo Farm (NEDF) in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

Nescafé Coffee Plantlet Production and Training Center in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

Some of you probably would think that a visit to the farm might sound boring or not exciting at all. At first I also thought about it. However, at the end of the day I was so amazed and satisfied! I was so glad that I made the right decision by being part of this journey instead of visiting my cousin who lives in Tagum City. Don't get me wrong, I miss my cousins Ate Ella and Father Bong and would love to have spent an hour or two with them. But the visit to the coffee farm was far more valuable and definitely an experience I will never forget.

Year of 2010, Nescafe Phils launched a program called 'The Nescafe Plan", which involves global investments amounting to CHF350 million of coffee projects promoting responsible farming, production and consumption. And as a true-blood coffee addict (some of you may have already guessed that I'm an addict to coffee, particularly with Nescafe!), I knew about this because I happen to follow and browse pages/sites of Nescafe frequently.

Now, allow me to go into some details in regard to our amazingly wonderful trip to the farm!
This is Mr. Ramon Parreno, the resident Agronomist of Nestlé Coffee Plantlet Production and Training Center in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

Mr. Ramon Parreno, the resident Agronomist of Nestlé Coffee Plantlet Production and Training Center in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

I liked how Mr. Mon Parreno governed his lecture regarding coffee farming, He made it easy for us to understand, to be able to ask questions and in return, his answers were detailed and precise. And with Mr. Parreno's thorough description and explanation to facts, it was made clear to us that coffee plants only prefer slightly acid soil ph. In addition, I got to discover more about the Nescafe plan: Beyond the Cup privately.

the Nescafe Plan: BEYOND THE CUP

- The Coffee Growing Cycle:

The entire coffee-growing process from seedling production to harvesting has 3 stages: called the "9-9-9 Cycle"

9 months of seedling stage

9 months of vegetative stage

9 months of reproductive stage

Now, the fun part! This is where you get to do it yourself, the experience of planting the coffee plant!

Whew! Wasn't that sheer pleasure?! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the training center also offered us some snacks and lunch. It made the whole day productive, rewarding and worthwhile!

You too can drop by the NEDF anytime and learn from Mr. Ramon Parreno all about coffee. You may even get the chance to plant one and gain the fun and practical experience just like we did. For inquiries, you may email him directly at ramon.parreno@ph.nestle.com