For many small farmers, growing coffee has become a good way to earn from farming. Coffee beans are the second most traded commodity in the world, and with experts warning about a global dip in production for many years now, it can be a good time to cultivate coffee, as long as one has the correct support system in place.

This has been the case for some of the members of MILALITTRA (Miarayon Lapok Lirongan Tinaytayan Talaandig Tribal Association) Ancestral Domain from Talakag on Mt. Kalatungan in Bukidnon.

I interviewed two representatives at the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) 2025 earlier this year. The two representatives, both from the Talaandig tribe, were MILALITTRA Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (MILFACO) manager Joanna Dumakita and MILFACO member Fritz Nathan Dumakita. Both were on hand to receive the awards garnered by their coop members in the Arabica - Smallholder Farms category, where Carmelino Debalde, Fernando Enecito, and Jocelyn Sulatan won 8th, 9th, and 10th place, respectively.

“This is a victory for the Talaandig tribe because our efforts in cultivating coffee have been recognized,” Dumakita said in Tagalog.

“We are responsible for protecting our ancestral domain. Growing coffee is suitable for this because it protects the environment while giving our people good lives. Our leader believes that the only way to protect our environment is to protect the people living within the buffer zone. Coffee is a good way to do that.”

The Talaanding’s ancestral domain is about 11,000 hectares on Mt. Kalatungan.

Dumakita lists some challenges the cooperative faces, such as a lack of a structure for coffee processing and a lack of capital. On the farmers’ side, the majority of the cooperative’s members belong to indigent families, making it difficult for them to expand their production. “It’s difficult to expand even if coffee prices are good because it takes a while to see an income. You have to wait two years. Meanwhile, the farmer needs to eat every day. That’s the biggest challenge in our organization.”

With this in mind, the cooperative has made it a point to grow within its members’ means, concentrating on quality versus quantity. “We make sure not to compromise the quality of our coffee,” she stresses. “Even if we don’t have the equipment, we find ways to approximate the output of a post-harvest facility.”

At the farmer level, the coop gives away free coffee seedlings. They are also always looking for ways to support the farmers’ expansion. “They can’t just plant coffee. They won’t have anything to eat, so there has to be a balance. That’s the main challenge.”

“We believe that coffee beans are a gift from our god when the environment is good,” Dumakita said. “A big factor in delicious coffee is the environment it is grown in. Another advantage we have is elevation. The higher the elevation, the sweeter the coffee.”

The tribe continues to practice traditional methods of growing and processing coffee, sometimes combining it with modern methods when applicable.

“It’s good to diversify when planting coffee. You can plant vegetables, flowers, and trees next to your coffee plants, which is why it’s suitable for environmental protection. We also practice rituals for farming and harvesting. Our ritualist, or baylan, conducts a ritual to ask permission from the earth guardian to plant. We do this for all our crops. During harvests, we hold thanksgiving rituals for the blessings bestowed upon us.”

The cooperative has many plans. “We want to uplift the lives of all the members of the MILALITTRA Ancestral Domain. We want to give them the opportunity to engage in coffee farming because there’s money to be made, even if slowly. We also want to adopt new technologies without sacrificing our culture,” Dumakita said. “On the coop side, we’re slowly trying to find solutions to our challenges. We’re hoping that there will be people who will help us become competitive in the market.”

Right now, MILALITTRA sells coffee beans through their Facebook Page. They ship nationwide.

“On behalf of the Talaandig tribe from Talakan, Bukidnon, I want to remind everyone that every time you drink our coffee, please remember that it’s our tribe’s hard work that has made the drink you hold in your hands delicious,” she said. “That’s how special the coffee from MILALITTRA is.”