Yadu Karu: Advocacy & Narratives

  Before Jim Kaiser Caintoy owned a physical coffee shop, he spent his weekends selling cold brew from a street-side pop-up stand and his weekdays navigating rugged dirt roads into the highlands of Bukidnon. Today, as the founder of Malaybalay City Coffee — known locally as MC² — Caintoy is building a regional brand rooted in sustainable sourcing, competitive workforce culture, and agricultural advocacy. His journey from corporate coffee manager to local enterprise builder reflects a growing movement to put highland Bukidnon coffee on the national map while ensuring smallholder farmers receive fair compensation. From Corporate Theory to Farm Reality Caintoy previously served as a district coffee master for an international commercial coffee chain, overseeing operations across Cagayan de Oro and Davao. While the position gave him deep operational expertise, it lacked connection to the origin of the product. "My knowledge was mostly theoretical, not practical," Caintoy said....