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| Photo Courtesy || One Cordillera |
Cordillera - American history records show that coffee was introduced to Benguet by the Spaniards, who distributed seeds to the Benguet people and later, forcing all Igorots in the province to grow and expand the coffee plantations. The Igorots opposed this, and tried to kill and uproot the coffee plants.
However, in Kabayan, a young Igorot leader named Camising, who was famous for his bravery in protecting his people, saw possible value in the coffee plants.
After some study and observations, as well as trips to other parts of the Philippines where coffee grew, he led the cultivation of coffee in Kabayan.
Once they started harvesting, Camising sold their crops himself, and he discovered that the value of coffee per cavan (around 30 kilos) increased year by year. By 1902, majority of Benguet coffee was grown in Kabayan.
The fist customers of Benguet coffee were the mainland Spaniards, not even those in Manila. The Tabacalera Company bought Benguet coffee every year, shipping the whole crop to Spain and selling it at high prices.
Camising's Kabayan coffee was part of this high-value export.
source || One Cordillera
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