Farmers’ first harvest coffee launched in Cebu

The Nescafe Classic First Pick, a limited edition coffee made from coffee cherries handpicked by Filipino farmers during the beginning of the harvest season, was celebrated yesterday in a fiesta-themed musical at the Ayala Center Mall in Cebu City.

The series of nationwide celebration then takes to the road with repeat performances scheduled on Feb. 10 at Glorietta Mall in Makati and Feb. 17 in Davao City. Performances will be held at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. at each of the mall venues.

Continuing a tradition that began in 2006, this year’s edition of the Nescafe Classic First Pick celebration kicks off with a musical extravaganza designed to delight the senses. It will feature popular performers such as Zsa Zsa Padilla, Toni Gonzaga, and Heart Evangelista.

Featuring production numbers that capture the optimism and excitement of the year’s first coffee harvest, the show pays tribute to both the quality of Philippine coffee and the rich harvesting traditions of Filipino farmers.

As Bruno Olierhoek, Nestlé’s business executive manager for the coffee business unit explains, "The year’s first coffee harvest is always a joyous occasion for everyone in the coffee industry. And the Philippine fiesta, with its exuberance for life, is the perfect theme for the Nescafe Classic First Pick launch."

"There is something truly magical about the first coffee harvest of the year and we’re very eager to share this experience with everyone through our celebration of Nescafe Classic First Pick," adds Olierhoek.

The Nescafe Classic First Pick is stamped with the Kape Isla seal, a guarantee that the product uses 100 percent Philippine coffee.

Coffee has long been a part of Filipino farming traditions. It continues to be a valuable source of income for many throughout the country.

Nestle, which sources coffee from around 100,000 Filipino farmers, also interacts with an estimated 300,000 people in the Philippines who are in some way involved in the planting, harvesting or processing and trading of coffee.

No wonder then that the start of the harvest season is greeted with so much enthusiasm by so many people throughout the country.

In addition, the first ripe and red coffee cherries picked at the beginning of the harvest season with loving care, when carefully selected and roasted bring you a unique, fresh and flavorful cup of coffee that you too can savor with the Nescafe Classic First Pick.

Apart from its distinct taste and aroma, the Nescafe Classic First Pick is also packed with anti-oxidants naturally present in coffee–tiny molecules that help neutralize the body’s free radicals that attack the cell’s membranes and cause oxidative stress that may lead to cancer and other degenerative diseases.

The Nescafe Classic First Pick is available in two packages–the 50g jar and the 100g jar. They are now available in leading supermarkets nationwide.