Philippine Coffee Board Executive Director Carlo Perez talks about their private sector group's aim to revive the our coffee industry and Kape Isla, the Philippine Coffee Board's cooperative marketing program. (Video taken by INQUIRER.net online videographer Janie Christine Octia).

There was a part where he said something related to drinking Philippine coffee should be cool also as compared with drinking coffee from international coffee shops (Starbucks, CBTL, etc). For me, as a coffee lover, I love Philippine Coffee (Although I've tasted some that just were not that great) but I am also guilty of loving international coffee too. Eventually people will also love our own and be part of helping the local coffee industry. But how?

There should be a lot of creative marketing here to make people drink the local coffee. I love how they're trying to make the Kape Isla Logo a seal of excellence. It might take time for people to recognize this if there are minimal advertisements but this idea will work. Another idea is maybe to follow the strategy of Burgoo, Texas Road House Grill and other restaurants who have marketed their establishments in a way that it looks American/International. If there's a coffee shop that looks International, I think people would want to try it.

Take for example Figaro, when I was in high school back in the late 90s I didn't know it was local. Another would be Bo's, if it were not for seeing them in the Philippine Ad Congress in Cebu back in 2001 and knowing that they were Cebu-based, I might have thought they were foreign. You know how marketing is, it's all about perception. When us Filipinos think it's from another country then we go buy or try it. Once we try it then if we like it then we become loyal customers.

These are my thoughts on how we can help the coffee industry. How about you?