Philippines Legacy Microlot

We present to you our "Legacy" lot, a tribute to Mostra's roots and the farmers who produce these fantastic coffees from Single Origin in the Philippines Sitio Belis mills. This coffee is a result of Mostra's true "Direct Trade" work in the Philippines. You can find more information about our work and our first trip to the farms on our "About Us" page. Our "Legacy" lot comprises various coffees that rotate seasonally, selected from the farmers we work with and that Kalsada produces. These coffees are wet, honey, and natural processed, and they all come from the Sitio Belis mills region. We aim to showcase the exceptional quality of coffee produced by these amazing farmers. Each year, there is a wide range of different coffees available, and we want to include them all in our Philippine Legacy.

A note from Kalsada on this lot: “Sitio Belis sits atop a mountain range in Benguet, Philippines, with an elevation of 1,400 to 1,700 masl. With natural springs that flow all year round, the community is situated in a lush area where they primarily farm chayote. They also started cultivating coffee by the end of World War II. Ibaloi farmers, who expanded their backyard coffee plantations as demand for their produce grew, processed their coffees through a combination of practices they inherited from their forefathers and learnings from farmers who trained outside the community.

When Kalsada started working in Sitio Belis in 2015, farmers and their children were trained to harvest and process coffee according to new standards to ensure consistent quality. From working with 15 farmers this year, Kalsada has now partnered with 100 producers in the area. Farmers are also given financial aid to hire pickers from October to late January to harvest more, while those with fewer trees are given the opportunity to earn more by processing cherries in our central mill. In 2023, Sitio Belis produced 7.2 tons of specialty coffee. Sito Belis grows five varieties of coffee that are processed through either washed, honey, natural, or experimental methods."