Good and Green
The Good and Green Podcast, hosted by sustainability advocate Chit Juan, was created for the purpose of helping social entrepreneurs overcome challenges and grow impactful ventures that drive meaningful change. Each week, we share the tools, strategies, and stories that empower changemakers to build businesses with purpose. Whether you're launching your dream social enterprise or looking for fresh inspiration, this podcast is your go-to space for practical insights and uplifting conversations. Let's create a brighter, more sustainable future together!
Good and Green
Episode 36: Fearless OFW Brews a New Beginning After Setbacks with Anatista Perez
What does it take to leave a stable career abroad and rebuild life from the ground up back home? In this inspiring episode, Chit Juan talks to Anatista Perez, a former OFW and civil engineer who returned to the Philippines to build Don Narciso Café-Restaurant in Claveria, Misamis Oriental. From failed ventures to finding purpose in coffee, Anatista shares how she turned setbacks into stepping stones and built a thriving business rooted in community and sustainability. Her story is a testament to resilience, continuous learning, and the power of going back to one’s roots to grow something meaningful.
GUEST BIO:
Anatista Perez is a civil engineer turned coffee entrepreneur and the founder of Don Narciso Café-Restaurant in Claveria, Misamis Oriental. A former OFW, she returned to the Philippines to build a community-centered business that uplifts local farmers and empowers women through the Misamis Oriental Women in Coffee movement. Her café is known for its made-from-scratch dishes, real herbs and spices, and growing use of organic farm produce. As a certified coffee professional, Anatista continues to prove that a business rooted in purpose can sustain both people and the planet.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- How returning from OFW life inspired Anatista to build a purpose-driven business in Claveria.
- The financial and emotional challenges of investing locally and starting from scratch.
- Lessons from early business failures that opened the path to coffee entrepreneurship.
- The value of learning continuously and involving her children in the family’s coffee journey.
- Her mission to uplift farmers, empower women, and promote sustainable livelihoods through tree planting.
QUOTES:
- Don Narciso is part of our life. — Anatista Perez
- What I like about your resilience, Anna, is that it doesn't get you down. You just move on. — Chit Juan
- Sometimes you plan on things and if it doesn't work, you really just have to look for another thing. — Anatista Perez
- I just want to bring coffee to the home. — Anatista Perez
- Every time I am into something, I really just want to hone myself first. — Anatista Perez
- The roasting and the brewing is the sexy part of coffee. — Chit Juan
LINKS or RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Connect with Anatista Perez on:
- Don Narciso Cafe Website - https://www.facebook.com/Donnarcisocafe
- Don Narciso Cafe Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/donnarcisocafe/
Listen, rate, and subscribe!
- Subscribe to the Good and Green Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
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- Subscribe to EchoNews on LinkedIn.
Register for the 1st Philippine Coffee Sustainability Congress at bit.ly/phcoffeecongress. For more information, visit the Philippine Coffee Board website at www.philcoffeeboard.com or email phcoffeecongress@gmail.com.
Purchase Brew: Cafe, Coffee. Kape at Echostore.ph.
For more information about Brew: Cafe, Coffee, Kape, visit the Food Writers Association of the Philippine Facebook Group.
