%arabica Coffee Abandoned by Foreign Partnership Agent, Former Partner Creates Philippine Local Coffee Brand to Go Solo!

A while ago, Coffee Workshop reported that Filipino netizens had posted about the sudden closure of all %arabica coffee shops in their area, leading local netizens and media to wonder whether %arabica was exiting the Philippine market.

Subsequently, %arabica announced on Facebook that it had terminated its partnership with its former Philippine partner, Allue Hortaleza. It also said it had found other partner agencies and promised to open new %arabica stores in other locations within the year.

Meanwhile, former partner Allue Hortaleza posted on Instagram confirming that this was indeed the case, and expressed a commitment to continue providing high-quality coffee.

The Birth of Angkan Coffee

On February 10, Allue Hortaleza announced the creation of her first Philippine local brand: Angkan Coffee. Since several former %arabica store locations in the Philippines are owned by Allue Hortaleza, the local brand will open at the original sites of the former %arabica stores.

As for brand promotion, the business philosophy cannot be said to be exactly identical to %arabica's, but rather heavily borrowed from it. They provide customers with freshly roasted coffee beans, warm and welcoming service, comfortable and pleasant spaces, and dynamic menus, and they aim to update the menu quarterly, introduce more specialty drinks created by their baristas, highlight the creativity of local people in coffee, and compete on the global barista competition stage.

Borrowing Brand Style and Creating a Local Identity

Beyond borrowing business concepts, they also borrowed brand style. %arabica is a Japanese local coffee shop that, while showcasing different beans from around the world, still maintains a very distinct Japanese feel.

Allue Hortaleza borrowed from that, wanting to create a brand with local style aesthetics for Angkan Coffee. She expressed a commitment to strongly source local Philippine coffee beans, blend the stores with modern Philippine aesthetics and traditional Filipino hospitality, and vigorously purchase and promote local beans while helping local coffee farmers with cultivation.

A Different Path Forward

Regarding all of this, Allue Hortaleza still states that Angkan Coffee is different from %arabica. After all, different cultural influences help form the unique, colorful history of a local Philippine coffee brand, and she firmly believes this local brand will influence the subsequent restart of %arabica in the Philippines.

This story is interesting. Just as an earlier article noted, netizens said she was foolish to end the partnership just as the coffee shop business was picking up after surviving the pandemic, which seemed somewhat irrational. But as the facts have shown, she knew the business was doing well, which is exactly why she decided to split off. At the same time she is riding on %arabica's coattails, saying she wants to create a local Philippine coffee brand.

Somehow, this plot feels familiar.

Image source: Internet.

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