ILOILO CITY – A homegrown café has revived golf enthusiasm for younger Ilonggos and brought support for local coffee farmers.
COFFEE and golf at the Iloilo Golf Driving Range. (Tara Yap)
Megan Bautista found a new mission when she opened Dripple Coffee at the Iloilo Golf Driving Range in Mandurriao District here.
“It’s the golf community supporting local cafes and the local coffee growers,” Bautista told Manila Bulletin.
The young Ilongga entrepreneur was never into golf when she initially opened the café in late 2022 but learned the rich history of golf in Iloilo.
The Iloilo Golf and Country Club based in Santa Barbara town, Iloilo province is believed to be the oldest existing golf club in the country which was founded in 1907.
Bautista gradually learned golf from the old-timers she calls “tito” and saw the growing interest among young Ilonggos who came to the café.
This fueled Bautista to tap her patrons and others in Iloilo’s coffee industry for a tournament such as the 2nd Annual 6 Flags Golf Tournament.
Proceeds were donated to Rommel Cabistrante, a coffee farmer from the mountainous Barangay Camandag in Leon town.
The young golfers are hoping that Cabistrante would be able to maintain producing fine robusta beans that could be used by more local cafes.
Cabistrante was the 2024 Western Visayas regional winner of the Fine Robusta Coffee Quality Competition.
“This contributes to the enhancement of their farming practices and the production of high-quality coffee, supporting both local agriculture and community resilience,” added Bautista.