Driving social change through sustainable business start-ups

MANILA, Philippines - Le Bistro sustainable coffees is a trademark owned by LCFE, Inc. The company is in the business of licensing coffee shops whose owners believe in serving Philippine coffees, grown in a sustainable manner.

Licensing, different from franchising, teaches the café owners how to set up a café, how to build it from ground zero and how to make coffee. The food choices or selections are given to the operators, so that they can serve freshly-sourced ingredients from nearby sources, instead of dictating that all supplies come from a central warehouse or commissary.

Sustainable coffee shops like Le Bistro use the model mentioned in the book “Driving Social Change” by Paul C. Light . According to Light, you must disrupt the traditional ways of business, innovate processes and look in another direction if you are to create change in society.

“There are many entrepreneurs who need help only at the starting stage,” says Chit Juan, a Le Bistro Café owner. After that stage of construction and coffee training, the food selection is left to the owners’ discretion. “Specially in our new store in Calamba, Laguna, the licensees finished Culinary courses in prestigious schools, and only need help in the construction phase, to avoid a steep learning curve,” says Juan.

“And coffee knowledge of course is always important. Our trainers have more than 30 years combined experience in coffee-making,” continues Juan. A coffee shop must have good coffee. The business must not only be financially viable, it must also have social and environmental gains.

Le Bistro Sustainable Coffees is definitely setting a new trend in the restaurant or café scene. It’s not just about serving a hot brown liquid in a cup. It is about serving a good cup of coffee that has soul. It contains the energies of our local producers, keeping their farms alive for many generations to come.