COFFEE products from Nueva Vizcaya are garnering awards within the Philippines, signaling the province’s growing presence in the country’s specialty or artisanal industry for the beverage.
A farmers’ cooperative from the upland town of Ambaguio in the province won in a regional quality contest, while a Nueva Vizcaya-based brewing team took the championship in a national league leg, earning the right to represent the Philippines in an upcoming Southeast Asian competition.
Gov. Jose Gambito led provincial officials in acknowledging the winners during a flag-raising ceremony on Monday, citing their contribution to raising the profile of Nueva Vizcaya coffee.
Gambito said the victories prove that Nueva Vizcaya has the talent, climate, and communities to build a competitive coffee industry.
“The provincial government remains committed to supporting our growers, processors, and brewers through training, market development and other programs that will help transform coffee into a sustainable source of income for our people,” he said.
In the production category, the Tiblac Farmers Agriculture Cooperative, also from Ambaguio, represented by Joan Dulagan, won the Robusta division of the 2nd North Luzon Coffee Quality Competition held in May in Baguio City.
The event was organized by the Philippine Rural Development Project-North Luzon and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to promote the quality and market competitiveness of coffee from Northern Luzon.
The competition received 65 entries, including six from Nueva Vizcaya. Tiblac’s Robusta scored 85.06, a rating that placed it in the premium-grade category for its flavor profile, aroma, and smooth finish. Other entries from Nueva Vizcaya also received premium-grade ratings.
On the brewing side, Nueva Vizcaya was represented strongly in the Philippine Coffee Brewer League 2026–Nueva Vizcaya Leg held on June 28 at Saint Mary’s University in Bayombong.
The event, spearheaded by the DTI, drew 16 teams from Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Tuguegarao, Zambales, and Manila. It was the largest turnout recorded in the league’s round-robin format.
The champion was the Nueva Vizcaya-based Loot & Brew from Felisa’s Grind and Brew. Team members are Mc Osmund Espejo, Justine San Juan, and Christopher San Juan. Another local group, Team ArooBoo, placed second. The team is composed of Mark Russel Lacbayan and Wendell Beleno of Aromano Café and Rumil Oteyza of Boo Le Vous Café.
As league champion, Loot & Brew will represent the Philippines at the Asean Coffee Brewer League in Iloilo in November this year. The team is expected to compete with leading brewers from across Southeast Asia and take part in workshops and lectures with international participants. It will also vie for a slot in a coffee cultural exchange program in Bangkok, Thailand.
Provincial officials said support for the coffee sector will continue across the value chain, from farm production and post-harvest processing to brewing and marketing.
The recent wins, Gambito said, reflect increasing interest in Nueva Vizcaya coffee and the potential for the industry to expand to both the local and in export markets. LEANDER DOMINGO
