Bataan coffee growers’ coop brew success with DOLE

ORANI, Bataan – The Talaorani Multipurpose Cooperative (TAMCO) is now reaping success as a roasted coffee beans producer/supplier, thanks to a livelihood assistance by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

DOLE Region 3 Information Officer, Jerry Borja reported that this cooperative is now one of the major roasted coffee beans suppliers for Nestle Philippines and other coffee-related food manufacturing/retailing firms operating in the country.

But like any successful organization, the Brgy. Tala based cooperative had its shares of struggles and challenges during its humble beginnings says TAMCO Chairman Gina Mangalindan.

“Pagtatanim po ng coffee beans, niyog, at iba pang agricultural products ang alam naming gawin, ngunit hindi gaano kalakas ang merkado ng kape dito, walang ring oportunidad para mag-negosyo, kaya naman yung iba sa amin ay natali sa mga pautangan,” Mangalindan said, adding: “Dahil dito, minarapat po naming mga magsasaka na mag-buklod at magbuo ng kooperatiba sa hangad na magkaroon ng pangkabuhayan upang maiangat ang antas ng aming pamumuhay.”

In 1986, TAMCO was established with 25 members that started with a P5,000.00 shared-capital for the purpose of creating sustainable livelihood projects to support their families.

The cooperative was registered with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and assisted by Balikatan, a Non-Government Organization.

As a newly-formed cooperative, TAMCO’s farmers continued to struggle due to poor market for coffee and insufficient capital for their processing and storage for their coffee beans.

To make matters worse, the farmlands of the members of the cooperative were severely destroyed by various calamities, notably, the Mt. Pinatubo eruption.

Despite the hardships, farmers remained resilient and continued planting green coffee beans as the cooperative managed to survive even with minimal intervention from the government

Various government agencies visited the farms in Brgy. Tala and extended technical assistance to the farmers in finding suitable intervention for their coffee farming.

In 2014, the cooperative was a recipient of a P110,000.00 livelihood assistance from the DOLE’s Project RAY convergence program with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The provision for livelihood was funded under the labor agency’s livelihood flagship program: DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, otherwise known as “DILEEP.”

The livelihood assistance, which benefited some 100 residents in the community, was used for the cooperative’s Coffee Nursery and Packaging of Roasted Ground Coffee Project.

Partner agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Agrarian Reform, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority provided their respective assistance.

Through persistence and hard work, the cooperative became a major coffee beans supplier of Nestle Philippines while slowly gaining success in promoting their other agricultural products.

For their efforts, the cooperative received another DOLE livelihood assistance amounting to P500,000.00 for additional funding for the procurement of a coffee roasting machine.

The provision of livelihood was also used as initial capital for the cooperative’s goat-raising and ornamental and exotic plant livelihood projects intended to benefit its elderly members.

Mangalindan, who lauded the DOLE’s continuous assistance, said that the coffee roasting machine benefited and allowed the farmers to earn more income for their families.

“Itong coffee roasting machine na nakuha namin sa tulong DOLE ang masasabi naming “THE BEST” dahil mula sa P70/kilo na kinikita sa green beans, kumikita na po ng P350/kilo ang farmers,” Mangalindan explained, adding:

“Kung halimbawa ang isang farmer ay may ani na 100 kilos na green been, maaari siyang kumita ng P7,000.00 at kung ito po ay ipo-proseso para maging roasted bean at ibenta sa merkado, maaari po siyang kumita hanggang P35,000.00.”

Mangalindan also noted that the coffee roasting machine is using a one of a kind “Air Roasting Technology,” thus, improving the quality of their roasted coffee beans.

“Napakagandang luto ng roasting machine na galling po sa DOLE dahil ito po ay sa pamamaraan ng air roasting. Hindi po ito tulad ng dati na drum type lamang. Ibig sabihin, mas ok po ang kalidad nito,” Mangalindan explained, adding:

“Kung pupunta po kayo sa US o Europa, kaunti lang po ang may kayang magluto ng ganitong klaseng coffee bean at ito pong coffee roasting machine ay computer-assisted pa.”

Though the DOLE’s intervention in procuring this machine, the cooperative was able to provide more business and employment opportunities for its members, their families, and the community.

The cooperative was also able to provide more training and capacity-building opportunities for the community, which also covers the Aetas residing in the area.

Aside from Nestle Philippines, the cooperative now has a wider market where clients may go directly to the farmers to buy roasted coffee beans.

In terms of income, the farmers, depending on their harvest, can earn from P5,000.00 to P8,000.00 per month and earn as well from their other livelihood projects.

The cooperative also adopts a profit-sharing scheme which benefits its members based on revenues generated by its coffee roasting and other livelihood projects.

At present, the cooperative has raised its assets to more than P2,000,000.00 which comprises its multipurpose center, coffee roasting machine, and other machineries and facilities.