Social enterprise Banolmi is looking to expand its rainforest coffee model to more indigenous communities in the Cordillera as it seeks to improve farmers’ incomes while promoting forest conservation and preserving indigenous heritage, its co-founder said.
Banolmi was established as a marketing platform for sustainably grown products after its founders launched Barlig Rainforest Coffee in Mountain Province in 2021.
“Our goal is to be able to showcase products that are sustainably grown, mainly starting with coffee,” Banolmi co-founder Daniel Maches said in an interview.
“We started Barlig Rainforest Coffee as an approach to plant quality coffee while at the same time protecting our rainforest and pushing for our cultural integrity as indigenous people.”
The enterprise initially focused on specialty coffee but has since expanded to market heirloom rice, forest products, honey, and wild foods sourced from indigenous communities.
“As we engaged more communities and more indigenous youth to engage in agroecological coffee farming, we decided that we needed a marketing platform to showcase our produce from these communities,” Mr. Maches said.
He said the name Banolmi, derived from the Kankanaey words banol (word) and mi (us), means “our word” and reflects the enterprise’s connection to indigenous identity and ancestral land.
“Banolmi is not just a social enterprise of coffee, heirloom rice, forestry, honey, or wild foods. It’s also our identity, a reflection of our connection to the land as indigenous people,” he said.
Mr. Maches said one of the biggest hurdles in the early years was convincing farmers to return to coffee production after many had abandoned the crop because of low prices and limited access to premium markets.
“In the past, there was a lot of coffee in our community, but it was cut down because of low prices. They were berated by local traders at that time, and they didn’t have knowledge or access to premium markets,” he said.
Interest from farmers grew after Banolmi participated in local and international trade exhibitions, demonstrating the value of sustainably produced specialty coffee.
However, financing has become the company’s biggest constraint as it seeks to expand operations.
“Our community members are interested to join, but they also want support,” Mr. Maches said.
“Right now, it’s mainly the financial aspect that is limiting our capacity to expand and involve more community members,” he said.
Banolmi currently works with about 30 indigenous coffee farmers in Barlig, Mountain Province, as well as communities in Kabayan and Kapangan, Benguet.
The company plans to replicate its Barlig Mountain Forest Farm and Ikalahan Heritage Farm models in other communities to encourage agroecological coffee farming.
“These are proof of concept that we developed to show the community that sustainable coffee works,” Mr. Maches said.
He said Banolmi differentiates itself by integrating environmental conservation into its business model.
“It’s always about bridging practical or economic opportunity with nurturing and taking care of the land,” he said.
Coffee grown beneath rainforest canopies ripens more slowly, producing sweeter and more complex flavors, he added.
“When you drink our coffee, you’re tasting the richness of the rainforest,” Mr. Maches said.
According to Mr. Maches, looking ahead, Banolmi aims to engage more indigenous youth in agroecological farming as part of its conservation efforts.
“Our goal is to engage more communities, especially indigenous young people,” Mr. Maches said.
“As we do so, we are ensuring that more of our remaining rainforests are protected and preserved,” he said.
He noted that only about 7% of the country’s intact rainforests remain, most of them within indigenous ancestral domains in the Cordillera, prompting the company to advocate agroecological farming as a way to restore degraded mountains while creating sustainable livelihoods. — Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba
