LAST March 9 to 11, baristas, coffee enthusiasts, coffee lovers and homebrewers of all ages gathered at the SM Megamall Fashion Hall to experience and learn at one of the country’s biggest coffee events of the year: the Philippine National Coffee Competition.
While the eventgoers were busy having a taste of the wonderful world of coffee, The Good Cup Coffee Company’s president, Giorgio Bernardo “Gio” Visitacion, 24, was busy focusing on his task: To brew and serve his chosen coffee—anaerobic natural-processed Gesha from the Ninety Plus Gesha Estates, Panama—to the three judges, while explaining the background and the characteristics of the coffee he is serving.
According to Gio, the best-tasting coffee with the best customer service and best spiel wins. As a first-time contestant in a coffee competition, Gio admitted that it was tough because he was competing with 12 seasoned competitors. But he was confident with his chosen coffee.
Gio chose anaerobic natural-processed Gesha from the Ninety Plus Gesha Estates, Panama, as he believed that it was a clear representation of the craftmanship of the farmer and the producer that resulted into a coffee that was out of this world.
“What made it stand out was its special fermentation process and the outstanding Gesha varietal that made it tasted like red grapes, tangerine, cacao nibs, pineapple and passionfruit,” Gio shared.
His dedication, passion and discipline helped him bag the award. “I spent a considerable amount of time learning the best practices from the world champions, choosing the coffee, my roasting approach and my brewing method. I also gathered inputs from my mentors on what to do and what not to do during the competition,” he added.
It didn’t end there. Gio qualified in a program called April Athletes, a coffee roastery rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was mentored by the World’s Brewers Cup 2019 second placer, Patrick Rolf. The global program enabled him to dissect every process of the contest from sourcing green coffee, roasting, brewing and competing.
As a Philippine Brewers Cup champion, Gio aims to put the Philippines on the global map in the coffee industry.
When he returned home, Gio, together with his team, did not only continue to share their advocacy of teaching people about the production process of coffee they are serving—including where it came from and the farmers who grew the beans—but also serving the community by supporting the city’s health frontliners as The Good Cup Coffee Company recently served 2,000 cups of coffee for free to the medical professionals as the company’s way of saying “thank you” for their service, bravery and selflessness in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.