Figaro Coffee Company - IT Park - Cebu City

In 1993, a group of coffee lovers and enthusiasts got together and dreamt of a cafe where they could lounge and entertain friends and business associates - an Outlet that can fulfill their demanding taste for great coffee, delicious pastries and excellent service. This dream developed into a concept and soon the concept became a reality.

The concept grew into a complete coffee Outlet where Filipinos could get whatever they needed for coffee making; from the bean, to the equipment and paraphernalia, to the drinks --- THE PERFECT COFFEE.

Thus, the concept was born. The foundation and principles were set (Vision and Mission), and the support systems were established. Research and Development, taste tests and sourcing began. With the machinery in place, the concept was launched.

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its debut in November 1993, with a managing partner and two (2) employees, the first Outlet (rather, "kiosk") was born in the Makati Mall of the Ayala Center. This kiosk was mysteriously called the "F" store. It was the first of its kind. The Outlet had all the coffee and tea paraphernalia, it retailed coffees, freshly ground coffee beans and the first to introduce flavored coffee beans in the Philippines.

It was a very brave concept to introduce to Manila and the first few months were "testing" times for the concept. Filipinos were skeptical and suspicious about the product. But with determination, patience and perseverance, the company moved forward to its new location.

The Coffee Company's name was not used until April of 1994, when the Company was finally awarded its first mall space in Manila. Then FIGARO COFFEE COMPANY was born.

The name FIGARO was thought of by the directors as an idea to complete the Italian/European concept. They wanted to come up with a name that is widely recognized but not commercially and commonly used. The "Opera: Barber of Seville" has the song "Figaro" which popularized the name, thus Figaro was born.

Figaro is different from other cafes since it is not just a coffee Outlet but a coffee Company. This means that each Outlet serves a world of excellently brewed specialty coffee and everything that goes perfectly well with it.

The design of the Outlet, the craftsmanship, and the product line both for retail and service were the talk of the town. It was a concept almost everybody thought and to this day still thinks as foreign. The charm of the Outlet was that one could always talk to an owner or to somebody knowledgeable about coffee. People call it the "Personal Touch." And so, it became a decree that all Outlet crew must undergo an intensive two-week training period on product knowledge and the art of coffee-making, service and selling.

It took the Company two years to establish its credibility and to re-educate the taste buds of the Filipinos to specialty coffee and from there the journey to expansion began. And as they say, the rest is history. Figaro now has over 55 outlets in the Philippines. Several more outlets are in the works to date.

The success of a dream was not overnight. It took a lot of courage and determination to move forward during the growing years. But the asset of the Company is the partnership-the individual strengths of each partner. Each partner being successful entrepreneurs in their own fields-retail, import, export, manufacturing, design and management-thus making the company dynamic, exciting, solid and truly dedicated to excellence and satisfaction. It is this kind of partnership with individuals that Figaro is looking for in Business Partners.