City’s own coffee brand now labeled as ‘Tinapong’ Baguio Arabica

Finally, the Summer Capital’s very own coffee product that was launched last year has its own label and brand – ‘Tinapong’ Baguio Arabica.

Baguio City Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (BCFAC) Board of Directors chairperson Dr. Brigit Piok said the final label and brand was reached after a series of meetings, workshops and training on product development, branding and labeling in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry-Cordillera (DTI-CAR).

Piok is the former head of the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) now under Dr. Silardo Bested.

She disclosed that ‘Tinapong’ is an Ibaloy term for brewed coffee.

“Tinapong reminds us that drinking coffee is part of the Igorot or Ibaloi culture, hence, coffee trees have to be planted in our backyards to produce tinapong that we crave for in our daily lives whether working in the farm or doing household chores,” Piok explained.

She said the Ibaloys are the original inhabitants of Baguio city and enjoy drinking tinapong as they start their day.

“Ibaloi drink tinapong to uplift or invigorate their mood, to relax and bond with family and friends and offer it to visitors.  It is a way of life,” Piok stressed.

Other BCFAC board of directors who helped reach the milestone, she said, include Richard Inio, Norberto Antonio, and Julie Mangigil.

CVAO agriculturist I Vincent Chacapna said the coffee beans are sourced from local coffee growers, numbering around 250, from Irisan, Loakan, Happy Hallow, Camp 7 barangays and other areas.

He said it was CVAO that organized the group last year and continues to assist the growers by providing free training and distributing coffee seeds from the Department of Agriculture.

Those interested to purchase the “Tinapong” Baguio Arabica coffee can do so at the CVAO, Slaughterhouse Compound, Sto. Nino barangay or from the farmers themselves, Chacapna said. – Gaby B. Keith