I just love receiving (and later on, buying for myself) gifts that I know support a local community, especially an indigenous tribe. I love supporting groups that have products made especially by indigenous people in Mindanao.
One of the products that I now fervently support and promote is Hineleban Coffee. I first received it as a corporate gift last Christmas 2013 from Centrio Ayala Mall. Look at the Instagram photo I posted. You can also see the card that featured Jaime Zobel de Ayala’s photos.
Anyway, the gift I got came in a 500 gram (half kilo) bag of 100% highland premium arabica coffee produced by Hineleban Foundation.
Now what makes Hineleban Coffee truly special, you ask? It’s coffee that doesn’t only taste good, it also helps reforest Mindanao!
You see, Hineleban Foundation, a non profit organization, plants ONE FOREST TREE in your behalf for every purchased coffee bag. Sip and reforest!
You can even monitor the growth of that tree online 🙂 Pretty awesome idea, don’t you think?
My first bag of Hineleban Coffee actually came at a perfect time. I bought a brand new coffeemaker and what better reason to give it a dry run but to try premium arabica coffee grown in Bukidnon, Mindanao? And because I was curious if indeed a tree was planted in Centrio’s behalf, I logged on the Hineleban Foundation website and hey, look, there’s my tree! All I did was key in the “Tree ID” found on the coffee bag. You will then find the tree planted for you.
Just in case you’re wondering – Hineleban derived their name from a sacred Talaandig-Higaonon tribe word that stands for “the highest mystical Spirit-Tagulambung of Service-Leadership in the Talaandig-Higaunen Tribal tradition. It comes from the root-word “heleb” which means “the virtue to gather others towards oneself.”
So the next time you plan to buy coffee, please consider Hineleban Coffee. Or if you need corporate gift ideas, please get in touch with Hineleban Foundation as well. Not only will you enjoy good tasting coffee (I can personally attest this!), you will also help reforest the mountain ranges of Mindanao.
For more information, please feel free to visit http://www.hineleban.org
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Mindanaoan is a multi-awarded blogger, content creator, seasoned social media strategist and publicist with undeniably successful track record. 2012 International Visitor Leadership Program (for global leaders) alumnus and O visa grantee (for people with extraordinary skills and who have risen to the top of their field). Avid traveler and a proud relief operations volunteer. Regular resource person for social media, blogging and content creation. Available for work and travel – [email protected]
