Gourmet Farms: Caffeinating The Next Generation

written by Gail Sotelo September 27, 2019

During our field trip to Gourmet Farms in Silang, Cavite, I was regaled with stories about how Gourmet’s Café was the ultimate pit stop in the 80s.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember the café at all (I was born in the 80s and only started going to the area in the late 90s… I think that makes me a younger #tita or an Elder Millenial*?), and have only ever heard about them in the context of coffee when I started doing groceries in the mid-2000s.

That is what Gourmet Farms is primarily known for after all: Good, high-quality gourmet pinoy coffee.

While it would have been easy for them to just kick back (with a cup of coffee, of course) and just ride the wave of their successful enterprise, they’ve decided instead to update the look and feel of their coffee, as well as introduce new innovations to the local coffee game… Appealing to the titos, titas, and the younger set.

Gorgeous new packaging of a classic pinoy coffee icon!

First, a little history: Over 30 years ago, with the passionate belief in Philippine coffee, they started to export their locally sourced coffee beans. Developing partnerships with coffee farmers in different coffee growing regions in the world, they also started to bring some of the best beans into the country. Their pioneering spirit also led them to becoming the first coffee roasters to make roasted coffee commercially available.

Today, they have a repackaged version of their classic selection (they look so good, BTW), which includes Baraco Batangas, Espresso Blend, Maynila Blend, Mountain Grown Arabica, Hazelnut Blend, Premium Blend, and Decaf. They have the Arabicas Del Mundo line which promises to let the drinker “travel the world through coffee.” This includes Benguet Bourbon, Philippine Civet, Sumatra Mandheling, Guatemala Antigua SHB, Papua New Guinea PSC, Panama Finca Sta. Teresa, Brazil Santos Arabica, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, and Ethiopian Sidamo.

Being proudly pinoy, I fell in love with the new Kapelipinas selection, a line of Philippine single origins coffee, with native fabric designs on the packaging to match. This includes Apo, Baraco Supremo, Kitanglad, Atok, Daguma, Matutum, and my personal favourite, the Sablan.

Beans ready for roasting!

Okay, I bet that at this point, some people are probably thinking, “That sounds delicious and all, but I barely have time to get ready, how would I possibly have time to enjoy a proper cup of brewed coffee in the morning? Because, you know, #manilatraffic.”

For the record, I have nothing against the speedy instant coffee or coffee pod experience, but what I love about Gourmet Farms is that they found a way to elevate the early morning coffee rush experience by coming up with Drip-On Coffee.

Here’s how simple it is to use:

Something to watch out for as well: They’re coming up with a brand-new format! For those who have a “go big or go home!” philosophy when it comes to coffee (i.e., people who love to supersize their coffee), they’ve come up with a pretty nifty, easy-to-use portable brewer which will hit shelves soon!

Here’s a sneak peek of the product:

…and how to use it:

Curious? People can visit them in their farm at Km. 52 Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Cavite. They also have a tour for guests to get the true bean-to-cup experience. Try to visit their facilities this weekend to avail of their promo, as explained by the amazing Gourmet Farms team:

Gourmet Farms also has something to offer tea junkies and health-conscious foodies: They’ve got an amazing selection of herbal teas, lettuce and culinary herbs (which can also be used for drinks, such as the citrus + honey + herbs welcome drink we had), dips, dressings, and sauces. I ended up being a huge fan of their Lettuce Chips dipped in their Sicilian Dressing.