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UST Coffee crawl

UST Coffee crawl

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What is college life without coffee? Coffee is our go-to drink to fuel our productivity and prepare ourselves for another morning.

Here are three cafés around UST that you might want to visit.

Thrifty Capybara

“We’ve been students before, so we know coffee can be expensive,” said Keiffer Vergara, the general manager of Kape Kuripot. One of the owners was teased before as kuripot for not buying drinks in restaurants because he knew some cafés markup their coffee excessively. So, when they were brainstorming for names, they decided to use the word.  They also thought that kape and kuripot fit to make a perfect alliteration for their little shop.

Vergara also mentioned that the owners’ friend kept pronouncing kape as kapi, which sounds like capy (short term for capybara), so they ultimately decided to use it as a logo. 

“Because we’re going for a brand that (says) our product is affordable, we turned the capybara into a coin bank,” said Vergara. It’s their way of saying that students could save money if they choose their café.

Kape Kuripot isn’t only synonymous with affordable drinks but with capybaras, too. Capybaras are one of the friendliest and most sociable animals. It’s no wonder they are used to attract customers.  

Kape Kuripot is located in Rosarito Alley, outside UST Gate 10. Prices of their drinks start at 38 pesos.

Photo by Gwyneth Ileto 

One of their top-selling coffee is Kape Matcha, a blend of rich coffee and creamy Matcha. They also have unique coffee drinks such as Kape Strawberry and Kape Ube.

Mad enough to be different

Paule Manalad wanted to redefine the “mad” when he named his coffee shop Madbrews.  

“Madbrews was named after my clothing line, Madink,” Paule said. “Mad means make a difference.”

He calls the business a “calling from God” and said that because he loves and enjoys what he is doing, it doesn’t feel like he’s running a business. Both his clothing line and café are meant to make a statement to be more proud and genuine about themselves. He plans to continue development and growth that Manalad is now focusing on growing his café.

“I want to be the next Starbucks for Filipinos!” He beamed. He envisions his café becoming a staple for all walks of life to gather, relax, and enjoy quality coffee in a welcoming environment. A difference we’re all excited to see in the café industry in the Philippines.

Photo by Gwyneth Ileto

The scent of nutty blend will welcome you when you enter their store. Their best-selling drink is Caramel Macchiato. Their café is one of the few around UST that is open 24 hours. It has become a haven for students who are pulling an all-nighter. 

Tomo is friend

Joy Bautista decided to quit her full-time job to pursue the entrepreneurial journey. The decision began when she and her husband Eduard frequently visited different cafés during the pandemic. It was a way of their bonding when they were craving the presence of a friend.

After that, she decided to start her own business. Initially selling 10 cups a day, the business grew by offering door-to-door delivery in Manila. Since the cities were still on lockdown, they also started posting on Facebook community groups, which helped spread the word. 

Althea Velilla, Marketing Associate-Relations of Tomo Coffee, said that the owners opened themselves for franchising. They expanded from a take-out nook in Miguelin, Manila, to 30 around and outside Metro Manila, including UST. 

Their name, Tomo, comes from the Japanese word for friend, and like their shop, they offer warm and relaxing drinks, just like a companion a student needs for another study session. 

Photos by Shan Minglana 

They have two branches near UST. One is in P. Noval St. while the other is in Antonio St. Tomo Coffee’s best-selling drinks are Spanish Latte and their signature, Tomo Latte. They also offer non-coffee drinks such as Matcha Latte, Chocolate and Cookie Chip Latte.

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