UCC’s Allegro Beverage opens new HQ, bares expansion plans

L-R: Koike Shunta, chief corporate planning officer, UCC Asia Pacific; Naoya Fujimoto, general manager, UCC Philippines; Yasmin A. Vasquez, Allegro Beverage CEO; Kosuke Fujishima, executive officer, UCC Holdings, and Hubert U. Young, president and CEO,  UCC Philippines.

MANILA – Ueshima Coffee Co. Ltd. (UCC) Holdings Japan, a global integrated coffee business, unveiled last week the state-of-the-art showroom and headquarters for Allegro Beverage Corp in Mandaluyong City.

Allegro Beverage, one of the country’s biggest distributors of coffee machines, joined the UCC family in 2017.

During the same event, Allegro Beverage chief executive officer Yasmin A. Vasquez announced the company’s plan to put up branches in Albay by October and in Palawan. At present, Allegro Beverage has branches in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and Pampanga, as well as dealerships in Bohol, Cavite, Laguna, Pangasinan, Quezon Province and Iloilo.

According to Hubert Young, president and chief executive officer of UCC Philippines, the addition of Allegro Beverage to the UCC Group complements their business as they operate across the entire coffee value chain – from farm to cup.

Young said the UCC Group is committed to driving positive change in the coffee industry, and this acquisition aligns with their vision to promote sustainable practices and support coffee communities worldwide. He said UCC is dedicated to transitioning to 100-percent sustainably sourced coffee for all UCC brands by 2030.

According to Young, having Allegro Beverage as one of their business units will address the needs of the coffee community.

“By collaborating with partners and leveraging on our business units, including Allegro Beverage, UCC aims to create a positive impact on individuals, society, and the environment,” he said.

The new Allegro Beverage showroom showcases premier coffee machine brands distributed nationwide, such as Nuova Simonelli and Victoria Arduino from Italy, Crem from Sweden, FRANKE Coffee Systems from Switzerland, Mahlkönig from Germany, among many others.

Allegro service center at its new HQ

The facility also houses a service center for coffee machine maintenance.

Allegro Beverage products also include sauces, syrups, teas, oat milk, and top-of-the-line coffee roasted by UCC.

The company’s corporate clientele, which includes leading hotels, franchise chains, culinary and educational institutions, restaurants, and cafes, will now have access to an expanded range of coffee solutions and innovations.

“This year marks the 24th year of Allegro in the coffee industry. With all the changes, the addition of our new and beautiful showroom and service center, and of course, our new branding, the Allegro family is truly ready to be your partner in brewing new opportunities,” said Vasquez.

She said the opening of the branches in Albay and Palawan will be done through their dealers “who will have their own brands but will carry all Allegro products.”