Will Ashley, Gretchen Ho lend socmed to young coffee farmers

MANILA, Philippines, September 16 ------ The TikTok community was shocked to see actor Will Ashley, anchor Gretchen Ho, and actress–beauty queen Aya Fernandez suddenly change their display photos, names, and bios, handing over their pages to unfamiliar faces. Social media buzzed with speculation: were their accounts hacked? By noon, the stars revealed the truth.

It wasn’t a hack; it was a takeover under the Nescafé Plan, an initiative supporting the future of coffee farming — advocating for better farming practices, responsible sourcing, regenerative agriculture, organizing farmers into cooperatives, competitive pricing, and nurturing the next generation of Filipino coffee farmers.

For one day, these top creators lent their platforms to young coffee farmers from Mindanao, putting a spotlight on the next generation of growers to share their stories with millions of users. “Proud ako to support the plan and share my page with Queenie, isang kabataan na bumabangon para sa kinabukasan ng coffee farming. Small acts, like drinking a cup of Nescafé, can create ripples of change,” Will said, who passed his account to 21-year-old Queenie Subasco, a graduate of Agricultural Technology and a beneficiary of the coffee company's educational grant programs.

“Si Jade is proof that the next generation can carry coffee farming forward if they’re given the right support. That’s why I’m proud to use my platform to amplify his story,” Gretchen said, who lent her page to 18-year-old Jade Abear, a Biology student from Bukidnon and son of a coffee farm owner and brand ambassador Arnold Abear. “Visiting Mindanao for Eco-Uling showed me how rich our land is, and how much heart our farmers have. Hilary’s journey reminds us that supporting young coffee farmers isn’t just about one person. It’s about building a sustainable future for all of us,” Aya said, who passed her page to 23-year-old Hilary Estandarte, a crop production graduate from Sultan Kudarat, the country’s coffee capital.

Next generation of coffee farmers

The Bangon Henerasyon, literally the “generation that rises up,” are young coffee farmers and students from Mindanao who are redefining what it means to work the land. Raised in farming families, they now blend agriculture with modern advocacy, content creation, and a deep passion for keeping coffee farming alive for the next generation. Among them is Queenie Subasco from Sultan Kudarat who built on her Agricultural Technology studies to pursue farming as a career, Jade Abear who dreams of modernizing farm practices while pursuing his love for dance and sports, and finally, an agricultural researcher, Hilary Estandarte who is determined to use her knowledge to advance coffee farming while inspiring other young people to follow in her footsteps.

The takeover was designed to spark conversation by deliberately disrupting social feeds. Celebrities lent their TikTok platforms to young coffee farmers, drawing curiosity and speculation online. At its heart, the effort was meant to spotlight the urgent reality that the country’s coffee farmers are aging, with the average age at 58 years old, and fewer young people are choosing to continue the trade. Without successors, the future of coffee farming and the nation’s coffee supply is at risk.

Source: philstar.com