SITIO SAN ROQUE, PIGTAURANAN,
PANGANTUCAN, BUKIDNON

MUNICIPALITY + PROVINCE + REGION

Pangantucan, Bukidnon, North Mindanao

ELEVATION

1,200 to 1,800 MASL

varieties grown

Typica “Sweet”, Catimor, Robusta

PROCESSING METHOD

Washed, Natural, and Experimentals

Our work in Bukidnon started five years ago in 2018. And while our initial attempt at building our first partner community in Mindanao did not work out in the beginning, we had an opportunity to restart in 2020.

Within three years, thanks to the committed participation of 114 farmer-families, Pigtauranan became our Mindanao hub. The mill currently processes both specialty arabica and fine robusta, with cherries coming from other municipalities in Bukidnon. Some coffees even make it to Pigtauranan all the way from Sultan Kudarat, a six-hour land trip.

In early 2023, when specialty coffee brand Blue Bottle released their very first Philippine coffees, they chose two lots from Sitio San Roque—a natural-processed Typica “Sweet” and an anaerobic naturals-processed Catimor. This was a milestone for Kalsada and the local coffee industry, an achievement that came after five years of sampling, cupping, and other quality assessments.

The global recognition that this collaboration gave Sitio San Roque is just part of the impact that specialty coffee has made in this small, yet determined community. Since our work was reestablished in this area, our partners have used what they earn from coffee to get through the COVID-19 pandemic and to free themselves from generational debt.