by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 9, 2019 | Bon Appetit
Coffee aficionados were treated to an exclusive Coffee Exploration session with renowned Coffee Man and 2015 World Barista Champion, Sasa Sestic. The curated event was hosted by homegrown coffee company Henry and Sons and the luxury hotel Grand Hyatt Manila.
The Coffee Man experience brings to the Philippines Sestic’s amazing journey to becoming a champion barista and the lengths he went to in search of the perfect cup of coffee. More than a barista, Sestic is also a passionate and knowledgeable coffee-grower who constantly experiments with techniques and methods.
Among his experiments is the post-harvest method called Carbonic Maceration. One of the specialty coffees processed under this method is the Jasper Coffee from the Masina Village in Ethiopia, which is now available at Florentine, Grand Hyatt Manila.
More importantly, Sestic also believes in putting the welfare of coffee farmers first while growing sustainable, world-class beans.
“Showcasing Sasa’s talent to the Philippines allows our local baristas to draw inspiration from his experience and story. He has infinite knowledge and learning that baristas, farmers, and even us – coffee distributors – can learn from,” says Michael Harris Conlin, President & CEO of Henry and Sons and 2019 Philippine National Barista Champion.
To say that Sasa Sestic is “driven” is like describing Mt. Everest as “high.” Sasa (pronounced “Sasha”) has been pursuing the perfect cup of coffee for more than 15 years. He started pushing the envelope on coffee tastes when he became a barista in 2003. His drive took him to study where a region or country yields their best coffee.
His passion is insatiable. Not only is he interested in coffee knowledge, but he also intends to teach what he knows, as well as help coffee farmers improve their lives and communities.
The Coffee Man
According to Sasa, helping coffee farmers ensures the quality of produce is elevated. Understanding a region’s climate and planting cycle led him to know when a region’s coffee would be best. A book about his journey is a forward intention especially considering that he was halfway into the book when he won the 2015 Barista Championship.
The best-selling book “The Coffee Man” narrates his journey to becoming a barista, how he went to the coffee farmers in search of the best coffee beans, and the new methods to bring out the flavors of coffee. The “Coffee Man” has also been created into a movie.
It took him 7 attempts before he won the Australian Barista Championship in 2015. That same year, he won the World Barista Championship (WBC) held in Seattle. In the dozen years prior to winning the WBC, his career has expanded from a barista to becoming the head of ONA Coffee Wholesale, and a couple of cafes which include The Cupping Room, ONA Coffee House, and ONA Manuka.
He has also been helping farmers with Project Origin, an ethical green bean trading company which has so far created long-term mutually rewarding relationships with more than 100 growers in coffee-producing countries.
Project Origin has helped pave the way for farmers to earn more and improve their crops, livelihood and their financial status. The organization has also raised funds for livelihood, health, education and community projects which benefit the coffee farmers.
It is no wonder that Michael Harris Conlin found him to be a kindred, coffee-loving spirit. The Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence (FSCE) which Conlin began, aims to help local farmers produce sustainable and world-class coffee for Filipinos to enjoy. In achieving this goal, he helps the farmers by buying their coffee and then giving back proceeds from the sale to train farmers and give them the right tools to become better coffee producers.
Besides their efforts to reach out to farmers in Benguet and other coffee-growing areas in the Philippines, the FSCE also wants to hone the skills of current and future baristas. Conlin founded the Institute of Coffee Excellence, right across the popular The Giving Café (TGC) which was opened earlier.
The two-story Institute is a laboratory and creative playground for Conlin and his team. It houses classes for baristas, brokers farmer-trader deals and discussions while finding innovative ways to make Philippine coffee beans more accessible to an international audience.
Earlier this year, Henry and Sons brought coffee expert Mokhtar Alkhanshali and his high-rating coffee from Yemen, Port of Mokha, to the Philippines for a similar event.
To know more about Henry and Sons, visit henryandsons.ph.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 5, 2019 | Events
The biggest celebration that aims to nurture the gift of every child happened in this year’s National Gifted Week spearheaded by the Philippine Center for Gifted Education, Inc. (PCGE) in partnership with PROMIL® FOUR and support from the Kite Association of the Philippines.
From November 24 to 30, the National Gifted Week featured a whole-day kite flying event and a two-day conference to be attended by giftedness experts.
Dr. Leticia Peñano-Ho
“This event aims to celebrate the gift that every child possesses. It is a great way for parents to encourage the creativity of their children, have fun and spend some time together. We will also be gathering the most notable experts who will discuss and share their knowledge on how to nurture a child’s gift,” said Dr. Leticia Peñano-Ho, president of PCGE.
On November 24, the celebration kicked off with the biggest kite making and flying event in Manila. Children and their parents created colorful kites and watched them rise in the air during the activity held at Burnham Green Park across Luneta from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Arts director of Masterpiece Movement, Kara Escay, facilitated the said activity. Attendees enjoyed exciting games, entertainment, a parade, and other surprises.
To promote discussion and share learnings on giftedness, the PCGE also held a gathering of experts for a two-day conference on November 29-30 at Hive Hotel & Convention Place in Quezon City from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on both days. The conference focused on revisiting the Multiple Intelligences.
Sharing their expertise are experts that included Mr. Ryan Cayabyab, Ms. Shaira Luna, Ms. Kara David, Ms. Roselle Ambubuyog, Dr. Carlos Arcilla, Mr. Ryan Tumbocon, and Mr. Kim Atienza. They discussed how to nurture a child’s gift based on their dominant intelligence which can be among Musical-Rhythmic, Visual/Spatial, Verbal Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Science, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal, Naturalistic, or Body-Kinesthetic.
For more information, visit https://www.promilnurturethegift.com.ph/promil-four-nutrissentials or https://www.facebook.com/promilfour/.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Nov 27, 2019 | Events
Filipinos love sardines, and for good reason. Not only is it delicious and affordable, but it’s also packed with health benefits that make it an excellent addition to our everyday meals. In fact, sardines are available almost anywhere. In supermarkets, sari-sari stores and even convenience stores, sardines are loved all throughout the country. That’s why Mega Global, the leading sardines manufacturer in the Philippines, launched Mega SardiNation, the first-ever National Sardines Day celebration last November 24, 2019, at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall headlined by no less than Mega Sardines ambassador Mr. Piolo Pascual with special guests Dimples Romana and Mike Enriquez.
As a sardine eating nation, Mega SardiNation highlights sardines as a well-loved Filipino staple and is also an avenue for Mega Global to further their commitment to improving the lives of Filipino communities, particularly in the health and nutrition sector. With its signature 12-hour Catching-to-Canning process, Mega Global ensures that its sardines are of the highest quality to give consumers the needed health benefits in each can.
Panel discussion on health and nutrition
The National Sardines Day brought families and friends together in a fun-packed and interactive event with free health and nutrition consultations, taste tests, a fun claw grabber game, and other activities for the guests to enjoy. With a push for Filipinos to make healthier choices through proper meal planning, the event also featured a discussion on health and nutrition facilitated by Mike Enriquez together with the Nutrition Center of the Philippines. The panelists highlighted how sardines are a nutritious addition to any meal and the different factors that affect the health and nutrition of Filipino families.
National Sardines Day activities
Adding some high-tech fun to the event, guests enjoyed a virtual reality experience of Mega Global’s trademark 12-hour Catching-to-Canning process onboard its Mega Barko. Using VR, guests experienced the renowned process that Mega Global observes to ensure that the fish they catch using sustainable methods are kept fresh and canned within 12 hours to bring consumers only the freshest and tastiest sardines.
Marvin Tiu Lim, Piolo Pascual, William Tiu Lim, Dimples Romana, Michelle Tiu Lim-Chan
Attendees were also delighted and entertained by the presence of Mega Sardines’ brand ambassador Piolo Pascual as he talked about the meticulous 12-hour catching to the canning process and his personal experiences with Mega Sardines making it his brand of choice. Special guest Dimples Romana shared personal insights on how she appreciates the nutritional benefits and quality found in each can of Mega Sardines making it an ideal meal for the whole family.
Mr. William Tiu Lim, Mega CEO and President
The event was capped off with a speech from the man behind Mega Global Corporation, Mr. William Tiu Lim, President & CEO, thanking the attendees and special guests for making the first-ever National Sardines Day a success.
To further highlight their commitment to improving Filipino lives and communities, Mega Global partnered with the Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP) and the local government of Barangay South Triangle, Quezon City for a community health and nutrition program. A 40-day feeding program for undernourished children aged 3 to 6 years old received 2 full well-curated meals from NCP, with one meal using sardines. This initiative will conclude on November 30, 2019
“Filipinos love sardines. As the top sardines brand in the country, we decided to hold the first National Sardines Day celebrations to showcase not only Mega Global’s various initiatives but to also make everyone aware of the myriad health benefits of sardines,” said Mr. Marvin Tiu Lim, VP for Sales and Marketing of Mega Global.
“Our CSR program with the NCP also helped us push for increased awareness of the importance of nutrition in every Filipino’s diet. We believe that with initiatives like this, we can truly make an impact and create sustainable change in the health and nutrition sector” he added.
The National Sardines Day truly showed how this well-loved Filipino staple can improve the lives of families and communities through each can. Through this event, Mega Global hopes that each family can make better choices in meal planning and continue to provide their family with the right nutrients they need through Mega Sardines.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Nov 27, 2019 | Awards and Competitions
Last week our blogger group challenged us to make a video that is two minutes long about Novuhair and its partnership with Mercury Drug. It took me up to the last day (November 26th) to do this because, well, life, hahaha.
As those of you who know me can attest, I am not fond of being in front of the camera so taking a video of myself was not something I was looking forward to doing. So I thought long and hard and I actually considered just making a video either using Premiere or Animate. But when I thought about how much work I would have to put into it I was daunted. I just really have a lot on my plate now, I didn’t have the time it would take to spare to make a really awesome video.
So I went with awesome with free tools instead. Yes, I used Powtoons. 🙂 Our students can attest to how engaging and fun Powtoons is to use. And this is what I came up with.
What do you think? Was I able to pull it off? Joining this contest I have nothing to lose. 🙂 And even though it took me all day to make it, I still had fun. 🙂 Please like the video on my Facebook Page. Thank you!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Nov 24, 2019 | Events
Today my daughter (Erika), granddaughter (Star), and I went out and did something different … we went to Burnham Green across from Luneta to make and fly a kite in an event sponsored by Promil.
First of all, Star LOVES pink so arriving at the venue and seeing all the pink banners, booths, blankets, she was ecstatic. 🙂 Upon our arrival they gave Star a pink hat, attached a band on our wrist, and we took a short quiz to find out what Star’s gift is … it is spatial intelligence. She takes after me, lol!
Our day started with a hearty lunch courtesy of Promil. Star was particularly excited about the food container and spoon and fork set they were giving the kids. She immediately asked me if she could keep them or if we had to return them. Her eyes lit up when I told her they were hers to keep.
Right now she is at that stage where she is a picky eater so feeding her is often a challenge. Of the food we were served she only ate the fish fillet and the pastry.
Design and make the kite
Star loves to write and draw and the kite kit we were provided came with the kite material itself, 2 sticks, 2 crepe paper tails, a pen, oil pastels, and stickers. From the time we arrived she kept asking if we could start on the kite already because she really wanted to draw on the kite. It was a windy day so working on the kite was challenging. The material was very fragile and a slight wind would blow it up and away so my daughter and I did our best to hold it down while helping Star with her artwork.
Time to fly the kite!
Once we had put the kite together she couldn’t wait for fly the kite! This was her first time so I was curious how well she would take to the experience.
At first she was tentative, Star does not like to fail. But with encouragement and motivation, and help, she finally got the kite up in the air, woohoo! My daughter has never flown a kite herself so this was a new experience for her as well.
Thank you, Promil, for sponsoring this fun event! Despite the momentary rain and the subsequent mud my gifted grandchild had a lot of fun.
More importantly, Sestic also believes in putting the welfare of coffee farmers first while growing sustainable, world-class beans.
According to Sasa, helping coffee farmers ensures the quality of produce is elevated. Understanding a region’s climate and planting cycle led him to know when a region’s coffee would be best. A book about his journey is a forward intention especially considering that he was halfway into the book when he won the 2015 Barista Championship.
Project Origin has helped pave the way for farmers to earn more and improve their crops, livelihood and their financial status. The organization has also raised funds for livelihood, health, education and community projects which benefit the coffee farmers.
Besides their efforts to reach out to farmers in Benguet and other coffee-growing areas in the Philippines, the FSCE also wants to hone the skills of current and future baristas. Conlin founded the Institute of Coffee Excellence, right across the popular The Giving Café (TGC) which was opened earlier.
Earlier this year, Henry and Sons brought coffee expert Mokhtar Alkhanshali and his high-rating coffee from Yemen, Port of Mokha, to the Philippines for a similar event.
To promote discussion and share learnings on giftedness, the PCGE also held a gathering of experts for a two-day conference on November 29-30 at Hive Hotel & Convention Place in Quezon City from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on both days. The conference focused on revisiting the Multiple Intelligences.
The National Sardines Day truly showed how this well-loved Filipino staple can improve the lives of families and communities through each can. Through this event, Mega Global hopes that each family can make better choices in meal planning and continue to provide their family with the right nutrients they need through Mega Sardines.
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