To me, coffee is more than a drink. It’s a ritual, a pleasure, a social interaction, a big passion and of course a business. After years of working in the hospitality sector, I experienced working in different types of bars and restaurants in different countries. In this field, I found exciting, challenging and varied career opportunities and talented people with a genuine passion for coffee. Everywhere I went, I noticed that coffee’ has always been the biggest common denominator we have with billions of people around the world waking up to its awesome aroma every day.

In 2010, I decided to engage in a coffee business.  I opened Gelateria Milano, a coffee and ice cream shop located at the level 5 of BQ Mall, Tagbilaran City. The business was well accepted by the local community and now, at its fourth year of operation, I can say that I have attained my goal reaching stability. To improve profit margins and make the firm more competitive, I decided to take direct control of how my coffee is supplied, growing my own coffee beans.

Also, after joining the Cacao and Coffee Growers Association in Carmen that provided technical support with Nestlé Philippines, I started last year an 800 plants Robusta Coffee plantation in San Roque, Mabini. I could see right away a big potential in this project and what started like a backward integration for my little store, may one day become a successful business venture.

You will hear me a lot talking about coffee in this blog then. Follow me in this journey from seed to cup,

“Only one thing is certain about coffee: wherever it is grown, sold, brewed, and consumed, there will be lively controversy, strong opinions, and good conversation around it“.