Philippines Kalsada Sitio San Roque: Natural Process
Philippines Kalsada Sitio San Roque: Natural Process
Some coffees just feel like coming home. This one from Sitio San Roque in Bukidnon, on the southern island of Mindanao, is one of them.
I first visited this farm in 2023, when new land had just been purchased and planting was just beginning. I came back in 2025 and walked through acres of coffee trees in beautiful rows — flowers blossoming, cherries coming in. Watching something grow from the very start is a rare thing. Offering this coffee means everything to me. It's from my homeland, sourced through my friends at Kalsada Coffee, and it carries that.
Grown at 1800 meters and naturally processed, this is a medium light roast with plum tartelette, mandarins, fudge brownie, and apricot. Round, warm, and deeply satisfying.
Roasted by a Filipina woman of color in Los Angeles, CA. 8oz whole bean.
ABOUT THE COFFEE:
Sourced through our relationship in my homeland of the Philippines with Kalsada Coffee.
Kalsada champions Philippine specialty coffee. Their top priority is to support Filipino coffee producers and their dedicated efforts to bring quality coffee to market.
Kalsada seeks to build trust and partnership with local communities, investing in machinery and equipment to elevate coffee quality, and paying farmers fair wages. They do this by actively listening to communities, in order to meet their needs.
Through their work, we hope to encourage future generations of Filipino coffee growers, and to spread the word about Philippine specialty coffee.
Kalsada's work in Bukidnon started in 2018, and within three years and the committed participation of 114 farmer-families, Pigtauranan became their 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.
Since Kalsada's work in the area, their producer partners have used what they earn from coffee to get through the COVID-19 pandemic and to free themselves from generational debt.
MUNICIPALITY + PROVINCE + REGION
Pangantucan, Bukidnon, North Mindanao
ELEVATION
1,200 to 1,800 MASL
VARIETIES GROWN
Typica “Sweet”, Catimor
PROCESSING METHOD
Natural