A visit to Focus Café shows how skills, markets, and technology connect classrooms to Benguet’s farmers and food producers.
Twenty-four students and one teacher from Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) visited Focus Café in Poblacion, Buyagan, La Trinidad, Benguet, on March 15, 2025, to explore café operations and coffee preparation techniques.
Students saw how a working café runs, from brewing and serving to managing daily operations. The visit also highlighted that every cup begins on a farm. In the Cordillera, coffee growers and food producers depend on buyers who value quality, fair pricing, and consistent supply.
This is where access matters. Farmers who understand quality standards, processing, and customer demand can earn more from what they grow. Students who learn the same things become future café owners, buyers, extension workers, and business advisers who can bring that knowledge back to producers.
Planting Together: Connecting Students, Farmers, and Forest Stewards
CCDC promotes knowledge exchange and sustainable agriculture through NSTP service-learning.
Thirty-two students and one adviser from Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) participated in a coffee-planting activity at Shilan Communal Forest in La Trinidad, Benguet, on March 7, 2025, under the theme “Brewing Sustainability: Coffee Planting for a Sustainable Future.”
Beyond planting, the activity provided an opportunity for students, local farmers, and food producers to connect and exchange knowledge on coffee cultivation, seedling care, and sustainable farming practices.
Through this initiative, CCDC promotes knowledge-sharing, strengthens partnerships with local agricultural stakeholders, and encourages students to appreciate traditional farming practices while supporting environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods. The activity cultivates not only coffee trees but also lasting partnerships and shared knowledge for a sustainable future.
