With the emerging middle class and increasing purchasing power, Filipinos are beginning to appreciate a whole new array of food and beverage.
And through the availability of cheaper modes of travel, Filipinos have indeed acquired a global taste for coffee.
To answer the clamor of their palate, Robinsons Gourmet Food and Beverage Inc. linked arms with Costa Coffee to bring to Philippine shores a taste of the United Kingdom.
Brothers Bruno and Segio Costa opened their first cafe in 1971. Forty years later, they now have over 3,000 Costa stores worldwide, each one featuring its own combination of Arabica and Robusta coffee.
It is this unique selling proposition that drew the interest of the Robinsons group.
“This is our first venture into the food and beverage industry. We wanted to partner with the best. We’ve already opened our first branch of Costa Coffee in Eastwood. Our next branch will be in Bonifacio Global City. We plan to open 70 stores in five years,” said Robina Gokongwei-Pe, president and chief operating officer of Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc.
Despite the seemingly saturated coffee market, Gokongwei-Pe believes that the unique taste of Costa Coffee will set it apart from the rest.
“The taste of Costa Coffee’s original Mocha Italia blend offers something unique and different for coffee lovers out there. It’s smooth, round but rich taste is what we are proud of,” she said.
Costa Coffee is also proud of its brand of service.
“Our colleagues are oriented to give customers top-quality service. They are trained to engage the customers in a remarkable way,” said Christopher Rogers, managing director of Costa Coffee International.
He added that the company was aware of the coffee business in the Philippines.
“We would look into exporting coffee beans from here,” he said.
The British culture is seeping through the consciousness of most Filipinos and it’s a good sign for British products to target the young population.
“We have a strong British presence here. We have found space. The United Kingdom is very well-positioned here in the Philippines. It’s not easy to dislodge the American culture here. But when it comes to coffee, I say game on!” said Asid Ahmad, British Ambassador to the Philippines.
Costa Coffee is directly-owned by Robinsons Retail Holdings through Robinsons Gourmet and Food Services. It acquired the franchise to operate Costa Coffee locally in 2014.
“We have tweaked the menu a bit. Some sandwiches can only be found here. We found that Filipinos like to hang out unlike the Westerners who always want something ‘to go,’” said Corinne P. Milagan, general manager of Robinsos Gourmet and Food Services.
When it comes to competition, Costa Coffee thinks that size doesn’t always matter.
“We’ll be the most loved,” Rogers said.
The coffee chain also has stores in Singapore, China, Thailand and Cambodia.
But what Rogers noticed is that the Filipino crew is a “fantastic crew who are always wearing beautiful smiles and are mostly service-oriented.”
He came to the Philippines 18 months ago and saw the opportunity to set up a store here. It took the groups nearly a year to put things together.
“Right now, I’m focused on growing the brand here and getting to know more about the Filipinos,” he said.