23/08/2025
A CUP OF HOPE: HOW COFFEE HELPS FARMERS AND ABANDONED GIRLS IN BUKIDNON
For Casey Burnett, a South Carolina native who moved to the Philippines in 2010, coffee is more than just a business—it’s a way to uplift farmers and abandoned children at the same time.
“Coffee is one of the businesses I first learned about when I lived in China, then moved to the Philippines back in 2010,” he shares. After years of work with Robusta farmers in Agusan del Norte, Burnett and his wife Judith eventually founded No Longer Abandoned, a nonprofit that supports their ministry for abandoned children in the Philippines.
At the start of 2023, the couple returned to Bukidnon and launched the Bukidnon Coffee Exchange (BUKAPEX). “Using our background in agriculture and community development, our business goal is to help coffee farmers make more money by creating and strengthening cooperatives,” Burnett explains.
They now operate a full-service coffee mill and roasting facility, buying from cooperatives and growers. “The cooperatives can use the money to buy coffee, and they can sell to us at ‘spot’ price which will typically be higher than the contract price. It’s a win-win for both parties, and I think a better deal than a shady lender,” he says.
Beyond business, BUKAPEX supports the Solid Rock Children Development Foundation, providing shelter for abandoned Filipino girls aged 12 to 18. Burnett emphasizes the urgency of the issue:
“The Philippines has over two million abandoned children, not to mention all of the runaways, internally displaced children, etc. Think of all the children we pass by when we go eat at a restaurant, how many of those children are on their own? Have you stopped to talk to them to get their story? How many of these girls have run away to escape being forced into marriage? It would shock you some of the things these children go through.”
On how they care for the children, Burnett explains:
“We are big believers in healthy routines. We will make sure the girls sit down and eat a meal in a family environment every day. The routine of being able to sit down and talk about the day in a family structure helps bring stability to children. We’ll do an educational assessment of each of the children to make an individual plan to help the children get caught up in school.”
Faith is central to their mission. “We will have daily prayer time and Bible study. This helps children know how valuable they are to God and also helps them see their own self-worth.”
The ultimate goal, Burnett says, is empowerment:
“The goal of any parent is to help their children to grow up to be strong. We don’t want victims graduating through our programs, we want survivors to graduate with confidence to face the world, and to have healthy families going forward.”
Through coffee, children’s homes, and community support, Burnett has found a way to merge livelihood and compassion. “We actually mix them together. Everything we do is ‘hands-on.’ We demonstrate the value of hard work, and have the kids work with us if they are not in school… It’s a small task but they will learn to show up, work hard, and then they will pick up additional job skills as they go along.”
This story originally appeared on Agriculture Online, a monthly magazine published by Manila Bulletin. Graphics and edits by Destination PH.
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