La Trinidad to bake world-record giant strawberry cake to highlight Strawberry Festival 2019

Photo Courtesy || Shanon.ethan FB

Cordillera - Benguet's capital town La Trinidad is gearing up to rebuild a replica of the Guinness World  Record biggest strawberry short cake to highlight the upcoming Strawberry Festival set on March 4 to March 29, 2019

According to La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda, the giant strawberry cake will be a replica of the 2004 cake that gave the town the Guinness World Record for the biggest strawberry shortcake. 

The cake weighed 9,622.24 kilograms and was served to more than 10,000 persons.

The celebration of the upcoming Strawberry Festival aims to promote the town as the strawberry capital of the Philippines and hopes to encourage local and foreign tourists to visit the town. 

"This is also an avenue to promote, not only La Trinidad Strawberries but also the town's many other products which are derivatives of the berry while celebrating the town's cultural diversity and richness," Salda said during a press conference. 

Last two years ago, the town has baked the first replica of the giant cake with the measurement of 1.5 meters high by 1.8 meters wide by 2.5 meters long and weighs at 2.5 tons. 

This year, the town will showcase the award-winning cake with the same design and the same measurement. 

 The ingredients to be used in the making of the cake are:

225 kilos of butter,

275 kilos of fresh strawberries,

325 kilos of sugar, 

225 kilos of fresh eggs, 

175 kilos of milk,

425 kilos of all-purpose flour, 

2.5 kilos of baking powder,

5 kilos of baking soda,

7.5 kilos of vinegar, 

15 kilos of strawberry flavor, 

500 kilos of whip cream,

and 10 kilos of food coloring.

The total cost of the cake is Php500,000 and it can make 500 pans which when sliced will make 16,000 slices. 

Cake lovers can have a taste of the cake on March 23, starting at 11 a.m at the Lednicky hall in the municipal building. 

There will be a free 50 slices to be served and the succeeding slices will be sold at Php20.00 per slice.

Funds from the cake is going to pay for the expenses of the organizers. 

source || pna

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First Kimchi Factory in the Philippines to be built in Benguet

Cordillera - Kimchi - the famous traditional side dish that screams Koreans, may soon be produced in the Philippines and the factory will be located in the capital town of Benguet - La Trinidad. 

That is, if the Korean investors are successful in locating a suitable land for their proposed 3,000-hectare kimchi factory.

According to La Trinidad Mayor Romeo K. Salda, the Korean investors have not yet able to locate the said land area so they need to reduce the land size. 

Mayor Salda said that the local government is now helping the South Korean investors in locating a suitable land for the said factory which will add another avenue for vegetable farmers to sell their produce especially cabbage.

Establishing the first Kimchi factory in Benguet province will greatly help the local vegetable farmers considering that one of the top ingredients of Kimchi  are cabbage, radish, and other vegetables that can be produced in the province. 

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"We were able to identify some public and private properties in the municipality which might be suitable for the proposed kimchi factory  but most of them were not able to pass the standard of the Korean investors that is why we continue to look for other areas that will be offered to them for the realization of their desired project that will contribute in spurring the significant increase of economic activities in the municipality," Mayor Salda said.

Mayor Salda said that the investors had reduced the land area for the proposed kimchi factory so that it could be easier to find a suitable land. This according to Salda shows how the Koreans are eager to set up the factory the soonest possible time. 

READ ALSO: Mobile App to help Cordillera farmers monitor oversupply of vegetables in advance

If the factory is going to push trough, it would not only benefit the farmers but also generate additional jobs to local residents of the province, according to Salda.

The market for Kimchi in the world market has grown significantly over the years and establishing a factory here in the Philippines would not be a problem because the supply of raw materials is abundant despite greater demands.

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State-of-the-art coffee trading center to rise in Kalinga

Cordillera, - Good news to all coffee growers and farmers in the province of Kalinga because a state-of-the-art coffee trading center is going be built this year.

The building of the P2.4 million worth trading center which is funded by the Department of Agriculture's Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) is expected to be completed by December this year, according to Philippine Information Agency website.

The center will have a sorting and storage section for consolidation services as well as some equipment like mechanical dryer, conveyor and others. It can accommodate around 75,000 kilograms of coffee beans per month.

Coffee growers from different municipalities of Kalinga can bring their coffee beans to the center for sorting and storage.

"With the construction of this facility, I challenge the members of the Kalinga Coffee Cluster (KCC)

to be strengthened and united for as long as the KCC exists, the operation of the trading center will carry on," said Provincial Project Management and Implementing Unit Head Engr. Domingo A. Balikan.

The Kalinga coffee is one of the most popular choice of coffee lovers in the country and abroad because it is organically produced.

Countries in the Middle East prefer Kalinga coffee because of its acclaimed original aroma and blend that is not present in the taste of other coffee brands.

The Kalinga brewed coffee with its renowned "Kalinga Taste" is the major product of the province under the One Town One Product (OTOP) program.

The brewed coffee is a product of roasted ground coffee beans usually comes from the blend of three varieties -- robusta, arabica, and exelsa.

With the building of the trading center, coffee growers can increase the quality of their coffee and will have a place where they can market their coffee products.  

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Sagada organic coffee wins international award in Paris

Goad Sibayan places depulped coffee beans on raised beds at his farm in Sagada, Mountain Province, Philippines. Credits: SGD Coffee

Cordillera - Organic coffee from Sagada called "Bana's Coffee won a medal and gained international recognition at the third edition of the International Contest of Coffees Roasted in the Countries of Origin organized by the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA), a Paris-based association.

AVPA is non-government, non-profit organization composed mainly of products, coffee industry experts, and taste enthusiasts. Its goal is promoting the value of agricultural products around the world and give recognition to the excellence of producers.

The awarding ceremony took place at the Embassy of Peru in Paris on June 28. Mr. Philippe Juglar, President of AVPA, gave the award to Consul Rapunzel Acop from the Philippine Embassy in Paris, on behalf of Goad Sibayan, Butch Acop, and Rich Watanabe -- the team behind this effort in presenting Bana's Coffee to AVPA.

The winning of Bana's Coffee from Sagada has helped the Philippines establish a reputation of having the best coffee in the world.
Bana's Coffee is run by Goad Sibayan, a coffee farmer and roaster who grows 100% Arabica coffee trees in the town of Sagada.

Bana's Coffee entry into the AVPA is a collaborative effort between Goad and the Coffee Heritage Project (CHP), a non-profit private initiative dedicated to help farmers grow quality-focused coffee.

READ ALSO: Philippine big coffee supplier Henry & Sons to buy local coffee from La-Trinidad, Benguet

"We hope that with this recognition, we are able to highlight Philippines Coffee and the great work of Filipino coffee farmers like Goad, growing one of the finest coffees in the world to be the true artisans of the Philippines' coffee industry." Mr. Watanabe said.

Sixty coffee entries from 21 countries received various awards from AVPA. The Philippines joined many other coffee producers around the world.

source: Department of Foreign Affairs and SGA Coffee Facebook Page.

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Philippine big coffee supplier Henry & Sons to buy local coffee from La-Trinidad, Benguet

Cordillera - A well known coffee manufacturing company based in Manila will be buying large quantities of coffee coming from the town of La Trinidad, Benguet. 

Henry & Sons, a coffee manufacturing company, an end product of the combined Collins Coffee and RICMAS Philippines expertise, has said it will be buying more coffee from local coffee farmers in La Trinidad. 

The company plans to manufacture quality coffee products that were locally produced as they target that 90 % of their product will come from local coffee farmers in Benguet, according to ABS CBN TV Patrol Baguio report.

Henry & Sons president and chief executive Michael Harris Lim has committed to improving the coffee industry in the town during the "Bloom Coffee 2017" Crop of the Year Competition held this week.

The premium coffee producers has been working with the Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence (FSCE) to help the farmers improve their farms and to produce more quality coffee. 

Last year, Henry & Sons launched 5 different special coffee brews called Bloom Coffee that aim to support the foundation's programs  and also to promote coffee from La Trinidad. 

For all coffee lovers out there, you can purchase a can of Bloom Coffee from Henry & Sons' mobile app, Robinson's and Rustan's department stores. You can also order by calling FSCE's numbers 746 2693 or 746 2233 for a price of just Php260 per 250 grams. For every Bloom Coffee you bought, Php50 will go to various causes that benefits coffee farmers and their families according to FSCE's FB page.

There are numerous programs FSCE has been actively implementing today to help coffee farmers and their families. Aside from promoting and selling their products, the foundation is engaged in providing farmers with necessary tools, facilities and training so that they can produce quality coffee that will be at par with leading coffee producing countries. It also provides steady income while waiting for their crops to be sold. Medical assistance is also given to their children against common diseases like dengue and chicken pox.

The coffee in Benguet can be at par with world class coffee, according to television director Lino Cayetano who was one of the judges during the Bloom Coffee 2017 Crop of the Year Competition. 

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