Highland Brew success lies in valuing culture and ancestors

Mr. Shaun Marrero owner of Highland Brew was introduced by Ms. Karren Nobres, Group PR Manager of SM North Luzon to some local media also with Jessica Fernando SM City Baguio Public Relations Officer after the opening of Highland Brew on November 18, 2021.

We were given the opportunity to interview Mr. Marrero in connection with his very adventurous business in the field of coffee.

According to Marrero in their culture, as highlanders can be considered “Aiming high but staying footing your feet on the ground, stay humble even though aiming high,” this is what they dreamed of no matter what roots you came from you still need to go back and you will still look at the situation during the pandemic.  How can I contribute more? when the time I was given the opportunity, I saw that our farmers in Atok produce a lot but no one buys, so I said, how can I help? And their next problem is although there are buyers who take advantage of them because those are the prices of the middlemen who didn’t raise the level, so they are still patronizing them is another part because they don’t really know the prices, what I wanted to tin here is my personal mission is what if I can be a value, I can add more value to their products.

In the beginning, it was really quite difficult but I didn’t think it was hard to do but I had to do it because I also wanted to help farmers.

For us, in the highland our beans will all grow here, we will use all grow here, whatever we achieve in this industry and we can launch that our beans are enough already really so delicious and this is what we want I add value that hopefully somehow those are our farmers here in Benguet, Cordillera is they will be proud of their product and can also raise their level of lifestyle somehow because they’re producing,”

“Maybe the bottom line here to be more productive is to franchise because we know that coffee is more people like it,” Marrero said.  Mario Oclaman /FNS