Civet Coffee kicks off nationwide expansion

CEBU, Philippines - Crisley’s Kapeng Barako Distributors, maker of the famed Philippine Civet Coffee Alamid, has opened a coffee shop in Cebu as a pilot venture to start off its nationwide expansion through franchising.

The Haus of Barako, located at the Sarrosa International Hotel and Residential Suites, is the first coffee shop in Cebu that offers alamid coffee, one of the most coveted among coffee connoisseurs, of which the Philippines has an abundant supply.

In an interview, Haus of Barako owner Christopher S. Gonzaga said that most of what we know about alamid coffee is its being rare and expensive. “We would like to change this thinking. At the Haus of Barako, everyone can enjoy a cup of alamid coffee at a very affordable price.”

Haus of Barako is designed to be the model coffee shop to attract entrepreneurs to avail of the franchising package which is pegged at an average of P850,000, Gonzaga said.

Coffee Alamid derives its name from the animal to whom we owe the interesting flavors of coffee beans, the Palm Civet, locally known as alamid.

What makes Civet Coffee Alamid special is it starts off with the alamids picking the ripest and finest berries to eat, by smell. The animals stuff themselves with it and excrete them all in the morning as the beans can not be digested. It is in their digestive tract that miracles happen. The stomach acids and enzymes affect the chemical structure of the beans.

Unable to digest the coffee beans, the alamid graciously deposits them on the jungle floor where they are collected by farmers.

The stomach acids and enzymatic action involved in this unique fermentation process produces the beans for the world’s rarest coffee beverage.

According to Gonzaga, his decision to set up a coffee shop chain offering only the Philippine Civet Coffee Alamid, is aimed at recovering the coffee industry in the Philippines which has been affected by commercialization of lands in the last few years.

“I’d like to promote our Civet Coffee Alamid,” said Gonzaga who has been distributing this kind of coffee in tea-bags to five-star hotels, resorts, Korean stores, pasalubong centers, and spa outlets around the country.

This time he is offering this business opportunity to entrepreneurs who may want to take advantage of the lucrative coffee business, and help local coffee farmers around the country.

For his coffee shop business, Gonzaga said his company has reserved seven tons of alamid beans. Majority of these Alamid beans are sourced from the open sights of Malarayat, Lipa, Batangas and Mount Matutum, General Santos, and South Cotabato, among others.

He also proudly reported an increase in sales for its instant coffee tea-bag, from 180 percent to 250 percent in the last few months.

From his manufacturing plant in Batangas, Gonzaga has already made partnerships with barako coffee farmers around the country ensuring a steady supply of alamid beans for his company. (FREEMAN)