Katsuhisa Ota is based in Mindanao, in the south of the Philippines, and is passionate about helping people. Though Mindanao is the agricultural center of the country, it has been the scene of religious conflicts over the past several decades that have set back its development.
Drawing on years of experience working for nongovernmental organizations and developmental assistance agencies, Ota has recently branched out into social entrepreneurship with his firm, Pistacia Mindanao Coffee Export, Inc. PMCEI specializes in high-quality coffee and cacao beans produced by small local farms, with everything exported to Japan. Ota and his firm work to support smallholder farmers with access to technology and a ready market for their produce.
"We weren't a farming family but we had a small allotment and I helped out as a matter of course," says Ota, reminiscing about how from an early age he experienced the hard work and satisfaction that goes into growing food. "I've been interested in helping developing countries since I was in fifth or sixth grade. I thought it was sad that some people didn't have enough food."