Meet Michael Harris Lim, the Philippine representative who put the spotlight on Philippine coffee at the World Barista Championship 2019.
Lim, the President and CEO of Henry and Sons coffee company in Mandaluyong, brought local beans from Itogon, Benguet and emerged as the Top 15th barista of the international competition held at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Boston from April 12-14, 2019.
The Filipino coffee expert is also the Director for the Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence which provides livelihood necessities to local coffee farmers and champions the Philippine coffee industry, touted to have what it takes to be the next Southeast Asia coffee tiger industry.
Lim has been a social entrepreneur in the coffee industry since 2001 and recently won the 2019 Philippine National Barista Championship which was his ticket to be on the World Barista Championship in Boston.
With his love for coffee he became the President and Chief Executive Officer at Henry and Sons Manufacturing & Trading Company Inc., his own coffee company that produces coffee made out of local ingredients.
Because of his love towards coffee, he created his company which supported the Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence that aims to reintroduce the Philippine coffee globally.
In a World Coffee Events feature, Michael Harris Lim revealed his vision for the Philippines’ coffee industry.
“It is my dream to create a fully sustainable coffee economy, where everyone contributes to a beautiful coffee future. It is my life mission to elevate peoples lives and make it better, nurture farmers, baristas and the Philippine coffee community,” Lim tells WCE.
Asked by WCE “How do you see the coffee industry changing in the future?” Lim replied:
“It will be a world where specialty coffee is everywhere, you can order it at your favourite restaurant, buy it at the grocery store, or even at the corner store down the road. A world where consumers prefer ethically sourced and produced specialty coffee, that empowers farmers to make a sustainable living.”
The Filipino barista also shared how he sees himself in the next five years:
“I see myself mentoring other social entrepreneurs, guiding them to improve peoples’ lives and make them better, nurturing farmers, baristas, and the coffee community.”
With reports from Marclee Agustin
Send your congratulations below to Michael Harris Lim, Filipino barista in the Top 15 at the World Barista Championship bringing to the world stage the vision to create and strengthen a sustainable local coffee economy for the Philippines!
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