Want a perfect place to sip and savor a new blend of coffee while reading a good book?
You don’t have to look far, because Angeles City has a new coffee hangout, aptly named Kapebaluan, located at the ground floor of the city library. If that is not a match made in heaven, then we don’t know what is!
Kapebaluan will utilize its own blend of organic coffee made from green Arabica beans grown by Angeleño farmers.
Five varieties of drinks – coffee (kape), non-coffee (alang kape), tea (pang marimla), signature (tatak), and barista — will be available to coffee lovers. They have 19 flavors to choose from, too.
The initiative to establish a café, according to Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr., is to assist farmers amid the pandemic and provide an opportunity to introduce the locally produced coffee to a larger market.
While the city government aims to help farmers put food on their tables, officials also want to showcase the city’s very own organic coffee.
“Kayang-kaya makipagsabayan ng kapeng Angeleño sa mga international brands,” was how Mayor Lazatin proudly described the product.
Meanwhile, Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel, who supervised the construction of the café from the start with Chief Adviser IC Calaguas and City Engineer Donato Dizon, said the café will be managed by the city government with assigned staff from the Angeles City Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office or ACEDIPO.
For her part, ACEDIPO Officer-in-Charge Irish Bonus-Llego mentioned that the city initially purchased 92 kilos of Arabica beans from the Angeleño farmers which will be used mainly at the café.
The said beans are also available for sale at the One Town One Product store of the city.
The café only has reference books in every corner for the meantime, but it is still accepting book donations. The good mayor also asked the help of the National Library to provide more books for the café.
Aside from Mayor Lazatin, present during the café opening were Vice Mayor Vicenta Vega-Cabigting; Calaguas; Manuel; Dizon; Bonus-Llego; Erma Manalo, Officer in Charge of Angeles City Library and Information Center; other officials and department heads; and coffee farmer Fidel Carbungco.
