March 29, 2024

Revisiting the OTOP Cordillera Hub and KAPEtirya three years after it was inaugurated, Department of Trade and Industry Sec. Ramon Lopez noted some improvements as it now serves not only as a marketing center for Cordillera crafts but also as a venue for economic activities.
The OTOP (One Town, One Product) hub carries various crafts and produce from all the six provinces of the Cordillera including Baguio City with items ranging from handwoven crafts, wearables, food and consumables, souvenir and ethnic crafts, and coffee.
As part of a tripartite arrangement with the City Government of Baguio, the Association of Barangay Councils, and DTI, the management of the OTOP Hub and KAPEtirya is supervised by DTI-CAR with operators like the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Baguio Benguet Chapter, Pasakalye Group of Artists, and recently, the Old Baguio Market and Pasalubong Shop.
With the holding of three Philippine coffee conferences in Baguio and Philippine coffee quality competitions with DTI as a key player, Lopez was happy to note that KAPEtirya evolved as a model for specialty coffee where one can also learn its trade from bean to cup, as the retiring DTI-CAR Director Myrna P. Pablo would put it. – Press release