FARMER FEATURE: The Marites That We Love!
The name Marites is quite comically frowned upon in today’s Philippine meme culture, bagging it as the local version of a Karen. Browsing through heaps of funny social media content, it is understood that “Marites” is more than just a moniker for the neighborhood gossip—but the growing disdain modern Filipinos have for fake news.
However, there is absolutely nothing disdainful nor fake about our Marites!
The woman in question is none other than Marites Arellano. She is the Philippine Coffee Quality Championship Winner in 2021 under the Best Philippine-Origin Arabica Coffee Category!
For a feat this prestigious, we just had to visit her farm in Davao del Sur to experience it ourselves. Good Cup’s pursuit of exceptional beans has led us to her, but the backstory behind the process of her coffee is what drew us closer to the superstar that is Marites Arellano.
Our founder, Gio, had the honor to talk to Marites’ husband. “[He] shared that the only way they can taste their own coffee is by charcoal roasting it using a pan and then grinding the roasted coffee using a home-made mortar and pestle and then steep the coffee grounds with hot water in a mug without even straining it.”
The term “farm-to-cup” is mentioned in almost every roastery post, but how often does coffee go back to the most important contributor to the whole supply chain: the farmers?
Marites’ coffee would then go on to bring great experiences for whoever comes across it. When we had the opportunity to visit Marites again earlier this year, we just had to share that very experience with none other than the coffee producer herself.
Gio had the opportunity to brew and serve back the coffee that she has produced for us to roast. He shares that priceless moments like these define why Good Cup exists.
This year, we’ve been granted another chance to bring new coffee from Marites! We recently launched Marites Arellano Lactic Fermentation, and its flavor profile of cacao, passion fruit, hazelnut, and crème brûlée makes a stunning brew that deserves to be the talk of the town!
A Marites that spills LITERAL (and outstanding coffee) beans, not gossip. Now that’s a Marites that’s worth celebrating—a Marites that we love!
