Kape or Kopi?

Was ordering coffee at Starbucks Marikina with high school classmates when I saw this on the menu blackboard:

"90% of the Aceh province in Sumatra, Indonesia sells coffee to make a living. And by buying about half of the delicious Arabica beans grown there, we’re helping them stay in business.”

I was about to take a picture of their menu but their polite barista told me I just can't do that.

I was thinking at that moment, don’t we have our own coffee industry in Batangas, Cavite, Sulu and other provinces?

There’s nothing wrong with helping our equally-poor Indonesian brothers, but shouldn’t we help our own, struggling coffee growers first?

Starbucks is an American company, but they’re doing business here in the Philippines.

They may have good coffee and they're everywhere, but as consumers and as Filipinos, what do we do?

Happy 111th Independence Day!