Ma'am Tere: A look at specialty coffee in the Philippines and the people behind it

Every October, we are blessed to honor the rich history of Filipino Americans in the United States by celebrating Filipino American History Month. It was through the Filipino American National Historical Society, a non-profit organization that was established in Seattle by Fred and Dorothy Cordova, who proposed the commemoration every October of the first known presence of Filipinos in the United States on Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587.

To kick-off this year’s Filipino American History Month, Archipelago, alongside community organizations Malaya Movement Seattle, and Foundation for Philippine Progress, hosted a film screening and Q&A of Ma’am Tere, a documentary of specialty coffee in the Philippines and the people behind it, at The Beacon Cinema on October 6th and 7th. It was in close collaboration with Paul Barreto, the director of the film, that this was made possible.

Although the film has been screened all over the world – Melbourne, London, San Diego, and Baguio, just to name a few, what makes screening the film in Seattle so special is that it also coincides with the 10th anniversary of Kalsada Coffee, the coffee company that the film documents, which was founded by, at the time, Seattle-based Carmel Laurino who was inspired by a photo of Philippine coffee being sold in Pike Place Market in 1909. With Kalsada Coffee’s roots in Seattle, a city known for its rich coffee culture and home to many coffee enthusiasts, it was serendipitous to have these homecoming screenings happen on Filipino American History Month.

Folks from all over the state showed up – including Seattle Public School students and teachers, coffee roasters and baristas, family and friends, and even elders from the Filipino Community of Seattle! We welcomed them in on two brisk autumn evenings starting off with Mixt Cafe’s non-caffeinated Sara-sara beverage. 

As they came through the door, a small but cozy waiting room filled with raffle prizes from local community partners, an interactive exhibit on the history of coffee in Seattle curated by our content coordinator, Han, and information about the organizations involved greeted the movie-goers. These added layers of content in the exhibit weaved in context for guests to be enriched with as they made their way to the cinema. As a snack for the screening, the team prepared a longanisa inspired popcorn mix.

The film was filled with sounds and imagery of the Philippines evoking the sense of being immersed and transported back home. Filled with banter and jokes, the film had a lot of relief that is classic of Philippine culture along with the hard realities of what it means to be a farmer in the Philippines. The fly-on-the-wall approach of the movie gave the audience an intimate look at the work that goes into their daily ritual — a cup (or two.. or three..) of coffee.

A sample of Philippine coffee roasted by Hutch coffee in Baguio and prepared by our friend Reyna from Olympia Coffee and Sara-sara brown butter mamon came with a Q&A with Dir. Paul after every film screening. The curiosities of the audience ranged from questions about the coffee itself to wanting to understand the different historical, social, economic, and political nuances that impact the farmers till this day.

With our minds and hearts filled in the first few evenings of Filipino American History Month, the resounding call to support the specialty Philippine coffee industry did not only show how the Filipino diaspora is able to make an impact on the lives of Filipinos back home, but also celebrates how in this moment, juxtaposed with the colonial influence in the history of coffee, Filipinos get to champion and define what specialty coffee from the Philippines is.

Proceeds from the event supported Foundation for Philippine Progress’ vision of a full life for every Filipino and Kalsada coffee’s rejuvenation fund, allowing Philippine farmers to participate in farming practices that will increase the quality and productivity of their coffee farms.

Maraming salamat to our community who supported this effort!