117kg of Benguet-grown beans at Php 9,900 per kg. You do the math.
“I am honestly scared, but I am happy,” shares Curve Coffee Collaborators (CURVE) founder and CEO Cherry Cruz about making the highest bid in Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) history.
Rodyio Tacdoy, a 22-year-old Benguet farmer, won Top 1 in the Arabica category with a cupping score of 84.38. His victory prompted Cruz’s record-breaking intervention for a region “lacking in terms of awards for the longest time” with “heirloom varieties threatened by extinction.”
“Then here comes a brave yet humble, energetic, and driven young farmer… with years of mentoring from his father, love for the land that they have, the desire to make a difference. We had to support him.”
CURVE’s green bean hunter Qits Nalugon strategically waited: “Top 1, last 3 seconds, doon lang ako nagtaas ng paddle. Doon na nagstart yung rally, until umabot na ganoong kalaki ang bid.”
At ₱9,900 per kg, Tacdoy earned over one million pesos for 117kg of award-winning beans—sold at bid price with all proceeds returning to the farmer for farm improvements.
“Maraming, maraming salamat po sa CURVE. Malaking tulong po sa akin kasi makakapag-elevate po tayo ng facility para makapag-process muli ng ganoong quality ng kape,” Tacdoy shares.
This “bet for the future of Philippine coffee” reflects CURVE’s mission of improving lives across the coffee ecosystem. Their impact earned Cruz recognition as Coffee Quality Institute’s Educator of the Year (2025)—the first Filipino recipient.
About Curve Coffee Collaborators: With farms, roastery, and cafés, CURVE discovers new origins while supporting Philippine coffee to solidify global market presence.
Follow: Facebook /CurveCoffeeCollaborators/ | Instagram @curvecoffeecollaborators | www.curve.coffee
