Chit Juan wants to be on a coffee farm in Kenya
July 18, 2004 | 12:00am
Meeting Chit Juan for the very first time, one quickly realizes while sharing cups of coffee at Global Café in Greenbelt 3, that she adores her late father, loves to travel and enjoys her coffee, the last of which she describes as her "daily high."
A passion for travel and coffee led Chit and her friends to start the business of educating people in the fine art of coffee drinking. Thus Figaro Coffee Company was born.
As they traveled the world over, the partners would purchase coffee from different destinations and likewise bring along our very own local varieties to foreign shores, soon creating a particular brand at par with international ones.
Chit’s study of the state of the local coffee farming industry revealed an industry that is near its end. The reason: Many coffee farmers are shifting to more profitable crops due to low prices dictated by the world market. What were once coffee plantations are now pineapple fields or golf courses.
Chit explains: "We are consuming 55,000 metric tons of coffee in a year and yet we are producing only 25,000. The missing 30,000 metric tons we import at P40 a kilo, which amounts to a total of P120 million annually. This sum can go to planting coffee and reviving our local farms. That is how grave the problem is."
In 1998, Figaro Coffee Company established the Figaro Foundation with Chit at the helm. In conjunction with coffee farm tours and tree planting activities that involve both the coffee farmers and the general public, the philanthropic association is busy raising the quality of our local coffee and standardize its production. It has likewise launched the "Save the Barako" campaign to give life to a rare coffee variety indigenous to the Philippines.
Chit Juan, co-chairman of the National Coffee Development Board, believes that everything happens for a reason. Her zeal for business and coffee and franchising all stem from her desire to make a difference in a manner her Dad taught her to – with passion.
What do you remember most of your first trip abroad?
I was 12 when my parents took me and my sister to Hong Kong. Strange as it may seem, my dad just stayed at the hotel and watched TV while his three ladies went out shopping.
What won’t you leave home without?
My cell phone to communicate with others and my rosary which I cling to whenever I talk to God.
What do you consider a must-do activity in every foreign city that you visit?
Go where the locals go, eat what they eat. Take public transport.
Let’s talk favorites now. What is your favorite traveling attire?
Slacks and cotton tee with a jacket or a blazer. I abhor people who don shorts and wear slippers just because they fly first or business class with the excuse they wish to be comfortable. I believe every passenger deserves to travel with people who are dressed comfortably yet properly.
Name your favorite airline.
KLM. The service great. They sure pamper you all the way.
What’s your favorite spot in the Philippines?
Amanpulo. It’s tranquil and serene.
What’s your favorite city abroad?
Florence. It’s unbelievably compact and easily walkable. Within a few square miles, there is so much to see, eat, experience, enjoy. It’s nice to get lost in it. Should Florence be one’s base, there are several cities nearby such as Siena and Chianti which one may easily visit.
Favorite hotel?
Lungarno Hotel across the river Arno in Florence. The owners, the Ferragamo family, pay full attention to all details from the bed sheets to amenities.
If you could take home a piece of art, which one would it be?
The "Mona Lisa" at the Louvre. It’s sheer magic when you stand before it rather than see it in pictures or video.
Favorite play or musical?
The Barber of Seville where they sing Figaro.
Favorite restaurant?
Trattoria Madonna in Venice for their calamari and Sgroppino and Yung Kee Restaurant in Sham Sui Po, which is Hong Kong’s answer to our Divisoria for their kuchay tips with squid and dried shrimps and suiyak or roast pork with green mustard and fish balls with clam and wine sauce.
What’s your favorite meal and the drink you often order?
Cheese plate and red wine. Cassoulet in France. Curries in Thailand. Chicken fry at Chatuchak Market in Bangkok. I enjoy eggs, omelets, frittata. I love breakfast anywhere in the world and brewed coffee with it.
What is the strangest thing you have done on a holiday?
Arranged for the transport of my Dad’s remains from Taipei as he passed on while we were on vacation. It was my first trip to Taiwan and didn’t know a soul except an acquaintance of my Dad who didn’t speak English and only knew a few words in Tagalog.
Another experience comes to mind. While in Russia I hailed a private car in the center of town and tapped its driver to look for an office of Pulkova Airlines. He only spoke Russian. Pulkova, Pulkova I would repeat the word many times over. So I thought we were making progress, for he continued to nod his head and drove without any hesitation. At the end of what seemed like an endless journey, we ended up in Poskovskaya Hotel. Well, I guess he must have thought Pulkova and Poskovskaya sounded similar. Blame it on my pronunciation. After a series of detours, we finally walked into the correct airline office, where we tried to book for an earlier departure, only to discover there were no other flights anyway. We ended up with our original return flight schedule.
Describe your most memorable trip.
We booked for a tour to St. Petersburg in Russia and upon arrival soon found out our hotel looked completely different from the brochure. It seemed like a different hotel altogether. Completely rundown, the bedrooms were so crummy. I called every hotel listed in the inflight magazine that I took from the plane. All the hotels were full for it was the season of the white nights. To complicate matters, the hotel refused to return our passports and had dubious plans of keeping us for the next three days. We just wanted to be out of there. We begged and begged some more. As soon as they surrendered the documents, we dashed out of the building and got into cab. But we had another problem we had no place to go. We requested the driver to take us to the best hotel in town where we took our chances. Guess what? There was a room at the inn in one of the best hotels I have stayed in – the Grand Hotel Europe, a member of the Kempinski chain of hotels, where we had caviar the whole weekend long.
Who is your ideal traveling companion?
Tireless, fun gourmands. I enjoy traveling with morning persons, the early birds. I hate starting late.
Name an event anywhere in the world you would like to participate in?
The summer Olympics. Though my golf is admittedly not that good, I also wish to participate in a tournament with the masters.
What do you miss most when you’re away from home?
Good coffee.
What is the best travel advice you can share?
Travel light. Bring a sweater. Take along with you your cell phone and a credit card. Billet yourself in a good hotel at least for the first night and go on your adventure trips only after you are familiar with the destination.
What are your pasalubong – inbound and outbound?
Outbound – coffee. Inbound – food.
Name a city you have never been to but you would like to visit someday.
Most of the cities in northern Africa where coffee was discovered. I want to return to its birthplace.
If you could be transported anywhere in the world right now where would you like to be?
Inspired by the movie Out of Africa, I would choose an African coffee farm in Kenya.
If you could reside anywhere in the world aside from the Philippines, where would it be?
In an Italian countryside, in the peace and quiet of an old Tuscan town where I would write a book, eat excellent cheese and freshly-baked bread, drink prized wine, mingle with neighbors and bike around town.
A passion for travel and coffee led Chit and her friends to start the business of educating people in the fine art of coffee drinking. Thus Figaro Coffee Company was born.
As they traveled the world over, the partners would purchase coffee from different destinations and likewise bring along our very own local varieties to foreign shores, soon creating a particular brand at par with international ones.
Chit’s study of the state of the local coffee farming industry revealed an industry that is near its end. The reason: Many coffee farmers are shifting to more profitable crops due to low prices dictated by the world market. What were once coffee plantations are now pineapple fields or golf courses.
Chit explains: "We are consuming 55,000 metric tons of coffee in a year and yet we are producing only 25,000. The missing 30,000 metric tons we import at P40 a kilo, which amounts to a total of P120 million annually. This sum can go to planting coffee and reviving our local farms. That is how grave the problem is."
In 1998, Figaro Coffee Company established the Figaro Foundation with Chit at the helm. In conjunction with coffee farm tours and tree planting activities that involve both the coffee farmers and the general public, the philanthropic association is busy raising the quality of our local coffee and standardize its production. It has likewise launched the "Save the Barako" campaign to give life to a rare coffee variety indigenous to the Philippines.
Chit Juan, co-chairman of the National Coffee Development Board, believes that everything happens for a reason. Her zeal for business and coffee and franchising all stem from her desire to make a difference in a manner her Dad taught her to – with passion.
What do you remember most of your first trip abroad?
I was 12 when my parents took me and my sister to Hong Kong. Strange as it may seem, my dad just stayed at the hotel and watched TV while his three ladies went out shopping.
What won’t you leave home without?
My cell phone to communicate with others and my rosary which I cling to whenever I talk to God.
What do you consider a must-do activity in every foreign city that you visit?
Go where the locals go, eat what they eat. Take public transport.
Let’s talk favorites now. What is your favorite traveling attire?
Slacks and cotton tee with a jacket or a blazer. I abhor people who don shorts and wear slippers just because they fly first or business class with the excuse they wish to be comfortable. I believe every passenger deserves to travel with people who are dressed comfortably yet properly.
Name your favorite airline.
KLM. The service great. They sure pamper you all the way.
What’s your favorite spot in the Philippines?
Amanpulo. It’s tranquil and serene.
What’s your favorite city abroad?
Florence. It’s unbelievably compact and easily walkable. Within a few square miles, there is so much to see, eat, experience, enjoy. It’s nice to get lost in it. Should Florence be one’s base, there are several cities nearby such as Siena and Chianti which one may easily visit.
Favorite hotel?
Lungarno Hotel across the river Arno in Florence. The owners, the Ferragamo family, pay full attention to all details from the bed sheets to amenities.
If you could take home a piece of art, which one would it be?
The "Mona Lisa" at the Louvre. It’s sheer magic when you stand before it rather than see it in pictures or video.
Favorite play or musical?
The Barber of Seville where they sing Figaro.
Favorite restaurant?
Trattoria Madonna in Venice for their calamari and Sgroppino and Yung Kee Restaurant in Sham Sui Po, which is Hong Kong’s answer to our Divisoria for their kuchay tips with squid and dried shrimps and suiyak or roast pork with green mustard and fish balls with clam and wine sauce.
What’s your favorite meal and the drink you often order?
Cheese plate and red wine. Cassoulet in France. Curries in Thailand. Chicken fry at Chatuchak Market in Bangkok. I enjoy eggs, omelets, frittata. I love breakfast anywhere in the world and brewed coffee with it.
What is the strangest thing you have done on a holiday?
Arranged for the transport of my Dad’s remains from Taipei as he passed on while we were on vacation. It was my first trip to Taiwan and didn’t know a soul except an acquaintance of my Dad who didn’t speak English and only knew a few words in Tagalog.
Another experience comes to mind. While in Russia I hailed a private car in the center of town and tapped its driver to look for an office of Pulkova Airlines. He only spoke Russian. Pulkova, Pulkova I would repeat the word many times over. So I thought we were making progress, for he continued to nod his head and drove without any hesitation. At the end of what seemed like an endless journey, we ended up in Poskovskaya Hotel. Well, I guess he must have thought Pulkova and Poskovskaya sounded similar. Blame it on my pronunciation. After a series of detours, we finally walked into the correct airline office, where we tried to book for an earlier departure, only to discover there were no other flights anyway. We ended up with our original return flight schedule.
Describe your most memorable trip.
We booked for a tour to St. Petersburg in Russia and upon arrival soon found out our hotel looked completely different from the brochure. It seemed like a different hotel altogether. Completely rundown, the bedrooms were so crummy. I called every hotel listed in the inflight magazine that I took from the plane. All the hotels were full for it was the season of the white nights. To complicate matters, the hotel refused to return our passports and had dubious plans of keeping us for the next three days. We just wanted to be out of there. We begged and begged some more. As soon as they surrendered the documents, we dashed out of the building and got into cab. But we had another problem we had no place to go. We requested the driver to take us to the best hotel in town where we took our chances. Guess what? There was a room at the inn in one of the best hotels I have stayed in – the Grand Hotel Europe, a member of the Kempinski chain of hotels, where we had caviar the whole weekend long.
Who is your ideal traveling companion?
Tireless, fun gourmands. I enjoy traveling with morning persons, the early birds. I hate starting late.
Name an event anywhere in the world you would like to participate in?
The summer Olympics. Though my golf is admittedly not that good, I also wish to participate in a tournament with the masters.
What do you miss most when you’re away from home?
Good coffee.
What is the best travel advice you can share?
Travel light. Bring a sweater. Take along with you your cell phone and a credit card. Billet yourself in a good hotel at least for the first night and go on your adventure trips only after you are familiar with the destination.
What are your pasalubong – inbound and outbound?
Outbound – coffee. Inbound – food.
Name a city you have never been to but you would like to visit someday.
Most of the cities in northern Africa where coffee was discovered. I want to return to its birthplace.
If you could be transported anywhere in the world right now where would you like to be?
Inspired by the movie Out of Africa, I would choose an African coffee farm in Kenya.
If you could reside anywhere in the world aside from the Philippines, where would it be?
In an Italian countryside, in the peace and quiet of an old Tuscan town where I would write a book, eat excellent cheese and freshly-baked bread, drink prized wine, mingle with neighbors and bike around town.
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