CHICCO DI CAFFE: COPING WITH THE CHALLENGES OF THE COFFEE SHOP INDUSTRY
July 14th, 2011
Mr. Abraham Rojas, a colleague at the Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc. just opened a new branch at the newly-erected shopping destination in Davao City, the Abreeza Ayala Mall. His coffee shop aptly named Chicco di Caffe has been in the business for two years and there is no stopping him from opening other branches in Davao and in the whole country as well. This new branch situated infront of Robinsons Supermarket at the Abreeza Mall is the company’s 6th branch in Davao and the 9th in the whole country. He has one in Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Manila (Robinsons Galleria).
I have learned that Chicco di Caffe is a family business and Abe was the one tasked by his family to manage and handle it with full freedom. What is so interesting about Abe, as he is fondly called by closed friends is that he personally went to Portland, Oregon, USA to study the Coffee Business. He enrolled at The American Barista and Coffee School where he learned the fundamentals of opening up a specialty coffee business, marketing strategies and the trade secrets of brewing the perfect coffee. “Every entrepreneur must understand that before he/she ventures into a business, he/she must study firsthand the on-goings of the said business that he/she wants to venture into”, he says.
After finishing his classes in the states, he immediately came back here in the Philippines and established the now-renowned Davao Premiere Coffee Shop, Chicco di Caffe. And last May 14, 2011, all efforts paid off as the company launched its newest branch at Abreeza. “The coffee industry especially in Davao City has been facing fierce competition. Popular Coffee Shops from Manila have started to penetrate the Davao Market. So there is no time to be complacent”, Abe said in a quite confident way. Thus, this newest branch is expected to be at a full stance in delivering the best in customer service and the best coffee products.
Standards are also one thing that Abe maintains in his coffee shop. With the learnings he got from an International Coffee School, he assured me that in doing business, Chicco di Caffe always follows International Standards. “We cannot compromise anything that is why we always adhere to the standards that are accepted internationally for the best of the company and most especially for the benefit of the customers”, he said.
Going through Chicco di Caffe’s menu, there is definitely a strong chance of putting up a good fight in this tough competition that Abe has mentioned. Remarkable items have been included in their menu to leave a mark among coffee lovers. One of which is the Coffee Halo-Halo which is an exciting mix of regular halo-halo ingredients incorporated with coffee. It is now the company’s banner product that had attracted quite a number of customers. And I learned that just last April, Chicco di Caffe has also launched its Yogurt Smoothie products. Yogurt has now become a craze in the food industry in general that is why Chicco di Caffe would not want in any way to be left behind.
Mr. Abraham Rojas, in his parting words said that Chicco di Caffe has only one promise to avid goers, and that is: A GREAT COFFEE EXPERIENCE. “I want to make sure that every single centavo they spend on my café is always worth it. And in Chicco di Caffe, you will definitely have that”, he pertinently said.
Published at: Business Mirror
Date: June 6, 2011
