A coffee recipe dating back to 1972 is getting a fresh shot at the national market as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) features local brand Cremetowne Coffee at its MSME Hub in Makati City.
The featured product is the brand’s locally produced kapeng barako, a distinctly Filipino coffee known for its strong and robust character. According to DTI, Cremetowne traces its coffee recipe to 1972, giving the product a decades-old story that the company is now bringing into a more convenient, modern format.
FROM A 1972 RECIPE TO TODAY’S DRIP COFFEE
For many Filipinos, kapeng barako is more than just a morning drink. It is closely associated with Batangas and the country’s long-standing coffee culture, particularly the Liberica variety traditionally grown in parts of Southern Luzon.
Cremetowne is putting that traditional coffee identity into drip-bag packaging, allowing consumers to prepare a cup without needing a conventional coffee machine.
DTI said the format is designed to make brewing faster and more convenient for everyday consumers.
The brand is not simply relying on nostalgia, either. Cremetowne products are currently available through Philippine retailers, including Barako Blend drip coffee and other blends. Real Food PH lists Cremetowne’s Barako Blend, Original Blend, Arabica Blend and Manila Blend among its offerings.
The brand’s long-running identity is also reflected in an Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines publication, which lists “CREMETOWNE COFFEE ROAST AND GRIND DRIP COFFEE ROASTERS SINCE 1972” in a 2026 trademark gazette.
WHY THE DTI MSME HUB MATTERS
Cremetowne’s appearance at the DTI MSME Hub is significant because the facility was created to give Filipino micro, small and medium enterprises greater access to consumers and commercial exposure.
The Bagong Pilipinas MSME Hub was launched by DTI in December 2025 at the ground floor of the DTI Filinvest Building in Makati. GMA News reported that the facility was designed as a retail space for MSMEs, giving local entrepreneurs an avenue to display and sell their products.
The Philippine Daily Tribune likewise reported that the Hub was designed to help regional MSMEs overcome challenges such as limited networks, high operating costs and difficulties entering high-density commercial districts.
DTI’s own 2025 annual report describes the Hub as more than a retail outlet: it is intended to connect regional enterprises with premium markets, provide customer feedback, strengthen branding and help businesses build links with institutional buyers.
That makes Cremetowne’s inclusion more than a simple coffee display. It places a homegrown product with a decades-old story inside a government-backed platform designed to help Filipino enterprises reach a wider market.
A TRADITIONAL FILIPINO COFFEE GETS A MODERN TWIST
Kapeng barako has long been associated with Batangas and is generally identified with the Liberica coffee variety. Its reputation comes from its distinctive, full-bodied and strong flavor, making it one of the Philippines’ most recognizable traditional coffees.
What Cremetowne is doing is pairing that familiar coffee identity with a format suited to modern consumers: individual drip bags that can be brewed directly over a cup.
That combination—old recipe, local identity and modern convenience—may be precisely what gives traditional Filipino coffee a new opportunity to compete in today’s increasingly diverse coffee market.
WHERE TO FIND IT
According to PIA, Cremetowne’s featured kapeng barako is available at the DTI MSME Hub on the ground floor of the DTI Filinvest Building on Jupiter Street, Makati City.
The PIA report states that the Hub is open Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For consumers, the story is ultimately bigger than one coffee brand.
It is about how a Filipino product carrying a story that reaches back to 1972 can be given another opportunity to find its way into the hands—and cups—of a new generation.
And with the DTI increasingly positioning the MSME Hub as a gateway for Filipino-made products, Cremetowne’s 1972 coffee story could be just the beginning.
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