OUR INTERN LED A TEAM AT THE DAVAO AGRI-TRADE EXPO 2018

ByLakan Sumulong


Aiza Wanay, our Cordilleran social entrepreneurial intern from the Banao First Nation, led our booth team at the 2018 Davao AgriTrade Expo that was held at SM Lanang Mall 20-23 September 2018.

Our CFP ExpoTeam, Arjay, Joji, Charmaine, and Charmaine: They were especially assembled as a team for this purpose.

The Davao Agri-Trade Expo 2018 (DATE 2018) is Mindanao’s biggest and longest-running trade expo of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc.

DATE 2018 was designed to accelerate the agricultural development of Mindanao, specifically focusing on “Golden Crops” — Cacao, Coffee, Coconut, Cassava, Corn, + Rice, Banana and Bamboo). One of the objectives of DATE 2018 was “to bridge the gap between agri-traders, businessmen and consumers alike.”

Aiza Wanay, our Cordilleran social entrepreneurial intern from the Banao First Nation, led our booth team at the DATE 2018. “She came out,” according to Joji Felicitas Bautista Pantoja, our CEO, “in the black.” Wanay and her team made money for the company!

Aiza will yet go through a comprehensive debriefing session through the PeaceBuilders School of Leadership evaluation process to assess the following aspects of her entrepreneurial leadership: emotional/self-image, relational ability, personal integrity, management and organizational skills, public communication, enthusiasm, and productivity.

Aiza Wanay is our current intern under the two-year “Inclusive Development and Social Entrepreneurship Program” of PeaceBuilders School of Leadership. Here, she poses with her Entrepreneurship Mentor, Joji Pantoja.

Aiza’s team offered a limited amount of “WildCat” (civet) coffee, newly-roasted 100% brewed Arabica, delicious “Coco-Coffee,” “StopWar” T-Shirts (blue only), “Wits” coffee-flavored granola, “Akiria” chili hot paste, “JustCoffee” mugs. Our booth was open from 10AM to 9PM.

  • Arjay, Wanay, Joji, and Fred: Set-up crew
  • Wanay, Joji, and Sonny: Facilitating the Coffee Tasting Challenge
  • Arjay is one of our baristas 
  • Charmaine is one of our expo crew members
  • Limited amount of highly in-demand civet coffee
  • Small packages of 100% Arabica coffee
  • JustPeace coffee mugs
  • Sihaya and Joji shares the CFP journey to Bayan Academy’s Marvin Beduya
  • Charmaine and Wanay open the Coffee Tasting Challenge event
  • Judelyn, one of our CFP baristas, works with a student

Coffee for Peace, Inc. enthusiastically involved ourselves in various features of the trade fair, including Agri-Trade Exhibition, Food Security and Infrastructure Conference, Agribusiness Innovation Conference, Technical Seminars, Networking Night, and Business to Business Matching.

According to DATE 2018 organizers, “the event has always been attended by more than 8,000 visitors.” Coffee for Peace was happy to get acquainted with various players described by the organizers as coming from “agri-trade, agri-industrial equipment, fertilizers, crop sciences, and disease management of the Golden Crops.”

The following 2.5 minute video highlights the fun we had as we supported Aiza’s Team in the said trade fair: