The Philippines is a country that is rich with natural resources and has been blessed with an environment where coffee can grow and flourish. The country is part of the world's “Coffee Belt” -- the region between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn around the equator, along with Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Hawaii, Indonesia, and Vietnam among others.

In the Philippines, coffee harvest usually happens between November through February and recently, we went on a harvest tour in Benguet, Mountain Province (north of the capital, among the mountain range of the Cordilleras). Deep into the mountains of Tublay is a rain forest. There, the environment is untouched and coffee trees take center stage in the vast wild.

Just last February 3, 2007, members of the management team of the Figaro Coffee Company (shameless plug), along with our suppliers, advocates of the environment and friends from media to the coffee estate.

We trekked the challenging terrain and braved the cold weather determined to harvest organic coffee.

Overlooking the property is a modest house made of wood and stone that naturally blends with its surroundings. Simple, strong and untouched by electricity. It is home to the owner of the land.

Empty baskets awaiting eager pickers. 

The proper way to harvest coffee is to select only the red cherries and pick them one by one. The green ones (unripe fruit) should be left untouched to fully ripen in the natural course of time.

I had to put down my camera in order to do my share of picking.

      And here's proof.... 

Hands that were stained from picking the coffee...

... proudly show off the fruits of their labor.

Baskets now satisfied with a healthy harvest.

Fresh ripe coffee cherries (arabica variety).

Freshly harvested coffee cherries were immediately hulled... 

...with a manual huller to remove the coffee beans from its pulp. 

Each one took turns in using the contraption to process the harvest.

After hulling, the coffee beans are thoroughly washed to completely separate the beans from the pulp.

We left the farm fulfilled with the thought that we did our part in harvesting organic coffee that will later find their way to our Figaro coffee shops to satisfy the taste of our customers.