HELD CAPTIVE BY COFFEE
Coffee fanatics gathered and celebrated together the two decades of Bo’s Coffee in the Philippines. Folks partied until the sun went down at the Garden Bloc of Cebu IT Park in a celebration dubbed Bo’s Coffeechella last July 16. From a small three-table kiosk in Ayala Center Cebu, the homegrown brew has expanded to over 80 branches nationwide. For its 20th birthday, it decided to treat its avid fans with an afternoon overloaded with coffee.
During the afternoon coffee affair, not only was homegrown coffee featured but also a few homegrown talents were put on the spotlight celebrating the diverse and rich collection of artists that Cebu has to offer. In the evening, a live mural painting was held with the Ubec Crew as Bo’s highlighted Filipino talent, artistry and ingenuity. A group art exhibit organized by Create Cebu entitled Grounded was also on display, during the coffee fair celebration. The paintings were created by 12 Cebuano artists: Bbisai Ya, Eloise Daniot, Ezekiel Sullano, Francis Sollano, Hannah Florendo, Happy Garaje, Honorato “Intoy Corpin”, Jay Labra, Je An “Govinda” Marquesto, Kevin Serad, Ruther Villalba and Sam Despi.
Using different mediums and styles of their choice, the artists portrayed their own roots and their own humble beginnings merging intuition and technique displaying the authentic Cebuano vision.
Winners of the 60 hour time-attack art challenge using coffee stains were also announced and displayed during Bo’s Coffeechella. The time constrained art challenge featured artworks on short bond paper cut to squares and the ingenious inclusion of coffee mixed with ink to captivate not only the nose but the eyes as well.
Bo’s highlighted its product which is Philippine coffee with 90 percent of its coffee beans transported from the Philippine highlands such as Sagada, Benguet, Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon, Mt. Matutum in Cotabato and Mt. Apo in Davao, with each offering distinct tastes and various flavor profiles for the coffee beans.
“Everybody has his role in nation-building. Ours just happens to be coffee,” says Bo’s Coffee chief executive officer Steve Benitez.