Established in 2018, the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) is an annual national competition that provides Filipino farmers and producers with a platform to showcase their very own specialty coffee beans. It provides an opportunity for their coffees to be evaluated by a distinguished panel of Filipino and international Q and R graders and certified coffee professionals from across the Philippines. Through this competition, deserving Filipino farmers, communities, and local origins get the spotlight and gain access to higher-value markets by putting their top lots up for auction.
In 2026, PCQC once again brought together some of the country’s specialty coffee producers, both arabica and robusta, to award coffees that possess top-tier quality and the farmers behind them. Among the many producers recognized was one of Curve Coffee Collaborators’ closest farming partners, Samuel Ochea Jr. of Amai Manabilang, Lanao del Sur, in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (or BARMM), who placed 3rd. We bid for his lot last year and were able to work closely with him and mentor him in coffee processing, which evidently worked, as his coffee has immensely improved since then.
Aside from Samuel, another amazing farmer from Mindanao was awarded. This time, it’s a lady farmer from Pangantucan, Bukidnon named Hermalyn Salido who placed 10th in the Specialty Arabica category. She works in Bayanihan Millennium Multipurpose Cooperative (BMMPC), an award-winning agricultural cooperative sitting at the heart of Pigtauranan, Pangantucan, Bukidnon, and the very same community we have been collaborating and working with since the late 2010s.
Their recognition is a proud moment for Curve; but more importantly, it puts the spotlight where it belongs: on the farmers, these underrated beans from local coffee origins, and years of relentless work behind the coffee we enjoy today.
Two Farmers, One Growing Story
Samuel's PCQC journey is one of progress. It highlights a significant achievement for smallholder coffee producers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). In 2025, he placed 7th in the specialty Arabica coffee category among over 180 entries nationwide, already proving that the quality of coffee he produced is high quality. It featured a naturally processed Arabica lot cultivated in the high-altitude climate of Lanao del Sur, putting it into a national spotlight as an emerging origin for high-grade Philippine Arabica coffee. After winning, he was sponsored and became a Q Processing Level 2 (QP2) scholar with the help of Ms. Cherry Cruz, a professional-level credential offered by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI).
Soon after undergoing the QP2 certification, his well-enhanced coffee achieved a 3rd-place finish in 2026, marking a notable leap from his placement the year prior. It highlighted his commitment to refining post-harvest techniques, continuous learning, and optimizing bean processing methods. With this under his belt, it cements his legacy as one of the top specialty coffee producers in the country. It also demonstrates the great potential of BARMM, particularly the province of Lanao del Sur, on the national stage.
Meanwhile, in another part of Mindanao, a parallel story of dedication and coffee craftsmanship was unfolding.
Hailing from the province of Bukidnon, Hermalyn Salido made waves in the Philippine specialty coffee scene by placing 10th in the PCQC among 12 winning entries, 10 of which were from Mindanao. Renowned for its high-altitude terrain that yields complex Arabica offerings, Bukidnon continues to shine as this recognition highlights its status alongside top specialty coffee producers nationwide. Little did everyone know that the 10-year-old coffee farm where she and her husband plant their coffee trees was an inheritance from her in-laws. Without a lot of funds to start with, they started from nothing and began growing their coffee organically. They worked extra hard and persisted, and with this, they were able to produce coffee worthy of a PCQC title. Her winning competition micro-lots were secured and roasted by Curve Coffee Collaborators, bringing her Bukidnon harvest to specialty coffee consumers, cafes, and auctions nationwide.
Their origins may differ, but their stories point in the same direction: Philippine coffee quality improves when farmers have the knowledge, care, support, and opportunities to develop it.
Curve’s Commitment to Philippine Farmers
Samuel and Hermalyn's recognition also reflects a bigger part of the Philippine coffee story. It’s that growing excellent coffee does not happen in isolation. For Curve Coffee Collaborators, working with local coffee farmers goes beyond sourcing their coffees. We have built meaningful, long-term relationships with farming communities, cooperatives, and other stakeholders across the country, supporting farmer development efforts. This includes farmer training, mentorship, capacity-building, quality improvement, sustainable farming, and post-harvest practices. In BARMM, as part of our work with their coffee sector, we have initiated programs to provide farm-level coaching and mentoring, customized coffee production and post-harvest processing training, and technical and marketing support to help BARMM elevate and promote their coffees to a wider audience.
This approach is part of our wider commitment to Philippine coffee and the local coffee industry as a whole. By understanding where coffee comes from and working more closely with the people who produce it, we continue to help create stronger connections between farmers, their coffees, and the markets that value them.
The goal is not to change what makes a coffee unique. It is to bring awareness to more people that it literally takes a village to grow, process, roast, and brew them exceptionally.
From Farmer to Cup
Samuel and Hermalyn's stories remind us that a coffee's identity is shaped long before it reaches the cup. It is shaped in the soil where it grows, nurtured by the hands that tend to it, and defined by every thoughtful choice made along the way.
Beyond celebrating their awards at the PCQC, their success invites us to pause and appreciate their respective regions and the artisans behind every bean. This sits at the core of Love Your Origin. For us at Curve, loving an origin means seeing beyond the label on a coffee bag. It means getting to know its unique land, honoring the efforts of its producing farm and farmer/s, and valuing the deep ancestral knowledge and care poured into every harvest.
From Lanao del Sur to Bukidnon, Samuel and Hermalyn’s stories highlight the vibrant origins and dedicated producers elevating Philippine specialty coffee on the national and the world stage. This is where our advocacy #ResponsibleCoffee comes into action. Responsible coffee begins with recognizing the farmers who grow them and building meaningful, transparent connections between producers and coffee lovers, extending far beyond what happens after the beans leave the farm gate.
While the achievements belong proudly to Samuel and Hermalyn, Curve’s privilege is to amplify their voices, champion their work, and open new avenues for people to discover the exceptional coffees they have laboriously produced. Because when we love our origin, we savor more than just remarkable flavors. We honor the farmer who cultivated the crop, the community that supported it, and the land that gave it character.
Experience the origins shaping the future of Philippine coffee. Discover similar stories and offerings of farmers like Samuel Ochea Jr. and Hermalyn Salido by following Curve Coffee Collaborators on social media (@curvecoffeecollaborators) or by visiting www.curve.coffee.
