A Caffeinated Southern Weekend: Alabang Mall Hosts Coffee Culture Festival 2024
The third wave of coffee manifested over the past weekend after Alabang Town Center hosted the first edition of the Coffee Culture Festival from Sept. 27 to 29.
Brewing began on Friday, ushering in the event and the final weekend of September. The event’s official sponsors include participating exhibitors, such as Barista Depot, Brewing Grounds, Coffee Lab, and FlyAce Corporation, through its milk brand JollyCow.
Coffee Conversations
The business owners of participating exhibitors VerraCoffee, Yellow Sweets Café, Take Time Coffee, and official media partners South Snippets and Snippets Digital were invited to share their coffee stories.
VerraCoffee founder and president Vanessa Velasco discussed how to create a circular economy for the coffee industry. Yellow Sweets owner Glaiza Mae Dilao shared how her passion and dedication to coffee led to her establishing her café. Take Time proprietor and managing partner Daniel Roque also revealed the ups and downs he experienced in the coffee industry, specifically in the coffee roasting niche.
Meanwhile, South Snippets and Snippets Digital co-founder and content director Donna Santiago provided essential tips for coffee brands and cafes regarding social media, stressing their need to go beyond profit and focus on making their branding a community.
Barista Brew-Off
Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to coffee exhibitions, taste tests, and competitions.
Three three-person barista teams competed in Saturday’s bar takeover competition, while ten barista tag teams participated in Sunday’s latte art game. Both competitions were held later in the day. Well-known barista masters judged them from Metro Manila and surrounding areas, including Roque and SCA-licensed coffee and café consultant Tryke Jaberina.
In addition to coffee-based products and equipment, the event also featured booths for flavored syrups and dairy products compatible with coffee and tea and other food items like cookies, vegetable-based chips, and even ice cream. South Snippets also opened its booth to allow fellow exhibitors to promote their brands.