10/06/2023
๐๐ฎ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ณ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐
๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐น ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ข
Before Kaulayaw Coffee was made into a reality, AJ Cabarles first started working at the young age of 20. It was an early part of her life, also as the eldest daughter, when she took the responsibility to provide for herself and her family.
Graduating from West Visayas State University with a degree in Journalism, AJ had jobs that were not entirely in line with the course she finished but the skills were still useful especially when she worked as an environmental consultant in which she focused on condominiums and also as a researcher. Before arriving in Manila in November 2020, she worked at a radio station for six months. Her salary during this time was only five thousand pesos and the amount she was getting for such hard work was clearly not enough to pay the bills.
After a year in the field of media, AJ became a Coordinator and had a boss she relied on in terms of wisdom which she adapted in her life. This was before she started her own travel agency where she met her partner, Allysa Janine Nino. AJ and Allysa handled together the travel agency which covered educational trips of universities like the University of the Philippines and University of Sto. Tomas.
It was really a passion, the joy from activities that included planning events. This is what AJ enjoyed doing for most of her time working in the industry. Her enthusiasm in managing events and programs was evident as she enjoyed doing this in college. And before putting up her cafรฉ, she already had an event management agency called the Euphoria Events Management where the business mostly plans weddings. She continued to handle the management even when Kaulayaw Coffee was created but its operations unfortunately halted when the pandemic hit.
๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐
When pandemic stopped most of people's lives in 2019, it started Kaulayaw's. It was the birth year of Kaulayaw Coffee. It was the time AJ told Allysa to start doing what they love. And there is this precious thing that they both have deeply loved: Coffee.
Kaulayaw Coffee was the dream. And before putting this dream into clear vision, there was so much planning and learning to be done. The first two months were spent in research and development. This part of AJ's Kaulayaw journey involved checking out companies, learning from others' strategies on product and service, and also educating herself about coffeeโits essence, on how much deeper this beverage means to people, and most importantly, the people whose hands plowed and tended the lands that nurtured the coffee beans.
Not only did AJ put value and appreciation to her and Allysa's favorite drink, but also to the coffee farmers who work hard to bring people a good harvest which makes the beverage they love. It was exactly what AJ did: source coffee beans directly from coffee farmers and commit to the advocacy of promoting local products from local farmers.
'๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐'
It was on 15th of March 2019, during the start of the pandemic, when AJ started selling coffee beans online with the help of Allysa and there was another one who helped in the social media management of their rising small business. Every day was a small step, all until Kaulayaw was recognized by many and started garnering about 1,000 orders per day. Soon, AJ and Alyssa needed more people to help them with preparing the coffee beans, packing of the product, and managing the social media to reach out to more customers.
On July 4, AJ and her team started to have their very first branch in Antipolo. And this is where the challenges began. Filipinos have loved coffee and the rise of coffee shops in the country proves that it is a drink that is a necessity in peopleโs everyday lives. A lot of cafรฉs can be seen in most places, all of them with their own unique qualities and impactful advocacies to offer, and this is the challenge that Kaulayaw tries to overcome. And Kaulayaw brings something special to the table: Philippine coffee beans.
One thing that Chef Allysa noticed while visiting other countries is that people abroad do not know that there are coffee beans native to the Philippines. Philippine coffee beans are not known internationally and that is what Kaulayaw aspires to change by starting in the country. The challenge now is how they will effectively introduce Philippine coffee beans to the Filipinos and persuade them to buy the locally produced coffee beans. With proper research, promotion, and marketing strategies, Philippine coffee beans can compete with other coffee beans.
Kaulayaw has directly communicated with local coffee farmers from places such as Rizal and Davao as part of the product's research, and it has been a successful step because knowing the production behind the crop offers more practical learning as well as letting them know how valuable their products are. It is a connection made out of the genuine desire to help and build a healthy community that is nurturing and fruitful.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ "๐๐ฎ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐"
Kaulayaw is a person whom you share deep conversations and intimate moments with. The deep Filipino word has been associated with the terms like "querida" or "kalaguyo," which both imply a negative meaning because they are often used to describe mistresses. These words have a connection to adultery and leave a bad taste to the mouth, often known as "kabit" in Tagalog.
Chef Allysa was the one who used the term, "kaulayaw," to name their cafรฉ and created a whole new meaning behind its name. From the original meaning, kaulayaw means a pleasant companion. It is someone you share stories with, make memories with. And this is meant to be a good thing, it is supposed to be a beautiful connection between two people who are bonded by special things. And under Kaulayaw, this bond is made strong by coffee.
Since this deconstruction of a word that used to connote a bad meaning, Kaulayaw has patterned everything from not just their cafรฉ name but also the names of the food and drinks into all deep Filipino words. And all these are part of the desire to promote anything Filipinoโthe culture, tradition, and the products.
๐ข๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ป
Bask in their wide array of drinks, ranging from their signature coffees and refreshers.
Waving the local banner, each cup is affectionately named in the lovely curated Tagalog lexicon. Starting off with your choice of local beans which you can either run through the robust French press or through drip. The titular Kaulayaw coffee is composed of a special blend of beans, joining the others such as Dapithapon, brewed with their exclusive beans, Estrelya (beans by the very hands of Marivic Dubria, recipient of 2019 Best Arabica Beans award), and Alapaap, Irog, and Liyag which respectively source beans from Sultan Kudarat, Sagada, and Benguet.
Their commitment to locally sourcing their beans makes the very base of their coffees to be one of its kind. Their espresso, titled as Tinatangi, stays true to its name. Others from their lineup include Takipsilim (Americano), Hiraya (Cappuccino), Dayang (Caramel Macchiato), Palangga (White Chocolate Mocha), Amore (Spanish Latte), Estrelya (Mocha Latte) in which you can decide to grab in either hot or cold.
For the acquired taste, one can try Gayuma, where the sprightly orange meets the stern coffee. A favorite, particularly, of the athletic patrons of the cafe. With a similar kick, Bukang Liwayway mixes pineapple with espresso.
Albeit the stern and serious color of the cafeโs interior, their imaginative and colorful vision is donned by their special lane of refresher drinks. Tala, the dragon fruit drink is in vivid Viva Magenta hue while Laya comes in a variety of colors that waves the banner of the pride monthโits origin and inspiration.
Their Kombucha specials then come in five refreshing flavors; Mulberry Watermelon, Mango, Hibiscus Blueberry, Ginger and Lemon, and the shopโs Original.
The flagship coffee shop does not only promise a delightful slurp but a whole festive dining experience with your loved ones with their manifold selection of meals, a perfect Kaulayaw to the drink of your choice.
Kaulayaw also boasts of eclectic inspiration for their original take on local cuisines. AJ and Chef Allysa's taste buds have also traveled the world, and these souvenirs they married to their hometown delicacies with the likes of Ligaya, their take on the filipino classic, Kaldereta. The round beef croquette reunites with its pair, the staple Kaldereta sauce garnished with cheese and julienne potatoes.
Kahidlaw is their crisp liempo dish bathed in the famous sour soup, with the salubrious vegetable puree, a faithful take on Sinigang. Whilst Dumangan is their tribute to the classic Kare-kare, crisp knuckles of pork in viscous peanut sauce.
These dishes belong to the โSariling Atinโ roster. The centuries-old classics are dressed freshly, Kaulayaw-style, and are brought to you by the hands of mothers trained by Chef Allysa themselves.
Sharing the local stage are the selection, โDayuhanโ (foreigner); international meals that are familiar to the Filipino palette. In the lineup are Chicken Satay, Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Barbeque Pork Belly, Pan-seared Salmon, Tuna Belly Steak, Crispy Breaded Porkchop.
Coffee even transcended to their savory lineup in the dish Kutitap, their Wagyu marinated in espresso, plated with sweet sesame french beans and crispy aubergine.
In their pasta lane, you can choose from Paraluman (Carbonara), Lungti (Pesto Pasta), Banaag (Pinoy style spaghetti), Kalinaw (Spicy Shrimp Aglio Olio), Gunita (Salmon Pasta with tomato cream sauce) and Puhon (Arabiata with shrimp).
Marahuyo is one great way to start your day. It's their version of toast with generous servings of blueberries and cranberries sitting on local cashew butter and cream, spread evenly over a soft bed of loaf.
Your next rendezvous will surely be lovely at the cradle of Antipoloโs highlands. The three-storey establishment allows you to view the scenic cityscapes and glorious sundowns.
๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ
The growing coffee market during the pandemic has inspired the couple to up their game into finally having their own coffee shop. Along with her aspiration to talk to more people and spread the word about the great potential of our local products. This vision was also helped by the positive response of Filipinos now learning to embrace local produce, more so in the advent of the third wave coffee industry in the country.
Staying true to the coffee shopโs name and its very core, the owners become your very Kaulayaw as they converse with you their well-meaning advocacy
Gradually, Kaulayawโs excellent blueprint has been an inspiration to many other aspiring coffee shops in Antipolo after them. And being one of the biggest players in the third wave coffee era of the country, Kaulayaw spearheaded the first and biggest coffee and music fest in Rizal. Musikape, was held on the International Coffee Day, October 1, 2022. Blending the words Musika, Sining, and Kape, where artisans, coffee shops across Rizal, and coffee enthusiasts lined their grounds.The fest stood in their aims to celebrate and unify the shops in the growing coffee industry in Rizal. They also aspire to educate people of the intricate process of preparing coffee and their advocacy.
The event also featured stellar OPM music acts namely Munimuni, Johnoy Danao, Gracenote and many others. With its successful run, itโs gearing up to be among the biggest annual events in the province and plans to come back strong this year.
Like how a loved one can affectionately be home, Kaulayaw is something you can come home to just as well. When asked about their hopes and dreams for the shop, Ms. AJ, told inspiring stories of their employees realizing their own dreams, a sign that their hard work is coming to fruition.
Under their wing are beneficiaries of the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) and working students. And Ms. AJ is adamant on her vision that everyone in their team rises along with them together.
While Kaulayaw continues to sow beans to the motherland, AJ aspires to introduce not only their name but also the rich and potent produce of the Philippines to other parts of the world.
Currently, other Kaulayaw branches are slated in seven more locations across the country, namely in Cuyambay, Tanay, Estancia Capitol Commons in Pasig, BGC in Taguig, Coron, Palawan, and Isabela among others.
๐๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ: ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Coffee means a lot of things. Literature has offered vast great depictions that beautifully described such a word, placing coffee in many significant events even in the lives of fictional characters.
For plenty of occasions people have described what the beloved beverage means to them. Some say coffee gives them the strength, the physical and mental boost to start off their day and achieve great things. Others look at coffee as a companion, something that gives them warmth and comfort through the hardest times.
Coffee is a companion in Kaulayaw Coffee. Just like in a lush coffee foliage where two coffee bean halves embrace one another inside a healthy pulp, Kaulayaw is a place to find a better halfโthe one to share a life with, spending every moment and experience with the solace of drinking a cup of authentic and homegrown coffee.
