ABOUT FIGARO COFFEE COMPANY

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.
On 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.

Filipino Coffee

Coffee beans need to be roasted to bring out their irresistible flavor and aromatics. However, once they
are roasted, they begin to deteriorate. This is why, freshness is very important. The sooner a roasted bean
gets into a cup, the better the flavor. At Figaro, we roast our beans here. That means, once roasted, they
get to our shops right away. They don't travel great distances or great time spans to get to you. We also
cook them in our very own roasters carefully watched over by our roasting experts who make sure each
bean is done perfectly. Our beans are roasted and packed just before they reach our shelves:

Home Reserve - Smooth and Refined, you can take at all day.

Barako Blend - In this enthralling blend, the exquisite charm of Arabica tempers the full, almost
alcoholic, winey kick of the Barako. Drink in both flavor and aroma of this blend, it delivers an experience
unlike any other.

Flavored Beans - "flavoured coffees" are made by adding flavoured syrups or cream to the brew.
Figaro Flavoured coffees, on the other hand, are made through a special process that actually "cures" the
flavors into the beans just after roasting, giving each a delicate yet lingering flavor without the added
calories or alcohols.
To cater to the different taste preferences, Figaro offers a wide selection of flavoured coffees. We
recommend you try them all to encounter the unique delight each has to offer.

MANILA, Philippines - It is perplexing that the Philippines, despite its rich coffee tradition and
history, doesnt grow enough of the bean and has to import to meet the local demand.
For Filipinos, just like the rest of the world, the morning is never complete without a cup of coffee
to perk up ones self before beginning the day. Forget breakfast, but not coffee.
It is an everyday ritual that dates back to the Spanish colonial era. In 1740, a Spanish Franciscan
monk introduced the first coffee tree in Lipa, Batangas, and by the 1880s, the Philippines was a
major coffee exporter. Batangas is still known today as the Philippines coffee capital even though
there are 21 other provinces from Luzon to Mindanao growing coffee.
Philippine coffee has a fabled reputation as a strong waker-upper. Hence, its barako nickname
(roughly translated as tough guy in Tagalog) among Filipinos. Contrary to popular perception,
barako coffee strictly refers to the liberica bean variety, which is strong enough to give you heart
palpitations if you gulp down too much of it.
In 1890, coffee rust nearly wiped out all the coffee trees in the country and the industry has never
fully recovered since. Filipinos consume over 60,000 metric tons of coffee annually but the
Philippines inexplicably grows an average of 30,000 metric tons only, according to the Philippine
Coffee Board, a local coffee advocacy group. Coffee is imported, mostly from Vietnam, to meet
the remaining demand.
To put it in perspective, a coffee tree produces a kilo of green coffee beans (the natural color
before roasting), enough for 100 cups of coffee. If you drink three cups a day or 1,000 cups a
year, you need to plant up to 12 coffee trees a year if you dont want to miss a cup.

For social entrepreneur and self-confessed coffee lover Pacita Chit Juan importing coffee is
unacceptable. If the bean were a religion, Juan would be the archbishop - if not the pope - of
Philippine coffee.
Some people have asked me why do I keep doing this, she says. Why cant we make it like
wine? Im still very much interested in making people appreciate good coffee like wine. Even the
house wine should be good. In the same manner every cup of coffee you drink should be good.
When do we get to that?
Her love for coffee prompted her, along with several other coffee-loving friends, to put up Figaro
Coffee Company in 1993, the Philippine equivalent of Starbucks. Along the way while looking for
local coffee sources for Figaro, she discovered that the barako coffee was close to extinction.
In 2005, she and Alejandro Mojica co-authored Barako: The Big Bean to raise public awareness.
The Philippines is among the few countries that produces all four main varieties of coffee arabica, excelsa, liberica and robusta.
Juan lost the helm at Figaro in 2008 after a hostile boardroom takeover but never lost her passion
for coffee. She remains at the forefront of Philippine Coffee Board, which she established in 2002
with several others.
In 2009, the group launched a development program in an effort to rehabilitate the P3-billion
coffee industry. It set a production target of 75,000 tons annually by the year 2015, taking into
account an annual two percent increase in demand.
Last years total harvest figure wont be out until the second quarter because the harvest season
is from October to March. Total production figure for 2009 was at 26,000 tons, according to
figures from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics. Export figures, meanwhile, steadily went down
over the years - from P294 million in 2005 to P42 million in 2010, based on figures from the
Department of Trade and Industrys International Coffee Organization Certifying Agency.
Philippine Coffee Board is currently awaiting a P100-million subsidy from the Department of
Agriculture for this years planting season to buy seedlings and facilities for farms to ensure
quality harvests.
People still mistake Juan as the CEO of Figaro. Banking on her reputation, Juan launched her
own brand last year, Chits Coffee. She takes three cups a day and visits her coffee farm in
Amadeo town, Cavite provinces coffee capital, once a week.
Despite the overwhelming presence of foreign brands and low coffee production, Juan sees a
change in the Filipino mindset. People are now apologetic when they serve you instant coffee.
Forgive me but we only have instant coffee, ha.

Juans minimum satisfaction in her mission is seeing the Philippines growing sufficient coffee to
meet the demand. But theres more to it than just her passion for the brew. Its national pride
although, ironically, coffee is a lasting Spanish colonial legacy.
She wants to see Filipinos aware and proud of their nations coffee tradition, and shes happy to
see a resurgence of patriotism among the younger generation and a measure of pride in drinking
Philippine coffee. It wouldve been a different story if the Philippines wasnt a coffee-producing
country.
Some people have asked me why we dont promote tea. Since when were we a tea-producing
country? Do people in the provinces invite you: Come, lets have tea, Juan stresses. My point
is: why should we lose the heritage?