Slingshot Journals: Figaro Foundation's Harvest Tour 2010

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Figaro Foundation's Harvest Tour 2010

KaAkbay Volunteers Batch 1 - 3

Philam KaAkbay Volunteers took the time off from their ultra-busy work schedules and their usual volunteer weekend and spent one Sunday just to pick coffee beans. Or what's left of them. In coordination with Figaro Foundation, We KaAkbay volunteers were able to experience harvesting coffee beans from a farm in Tagaytay City.

We started early on Sunday, January 31, 2010. At 7:45, after waiting for a few more participants to arrive at the rendezvous point, we departed Manila and headed towards Tagaytay. We arrived around 10:30, and we were welcomed by Figaro with a cup of coffee and some delicious revel bar.

After a short briefing, our group of around 53 volunteers were grouped into six teams and participated in the harvest game. The objective is to pick as many coffee beans as possible in just 40 minutes! We are not to pick just any bean we find, but instead we have to look for bright red beans ripe enough for the picking. Our guide, Joed Alcid of the Figaro Foundation, told us that we are not supposed to pick green beans because if they blend with the red ones and get roasted, the beans would taste acrid. Word for the day: Acrid (mapakla). :)

Bean Sightings

After 40 minutes of fun bean-picking, the caretaker chose the best harvest of all 6 teams. The second group won after a very close contest. Group two won the special grand prize, a Figaro high-grade coffee mug! :)

We had lunch at Gourmet's Cafe,still in Tagaytay. After lunch, we took a short tour of the Gourmet's farm, where we saw a vast farmland full of herbs, spices, and lettuce!

Special thanks to Figaro Foundation for the fun and educational harvest tour.

Picture, picture!