Coffeecat plans to open stand-alone yogurt café

CEBU, Philippines – The health-conscious market demanding for healthy gourmet beverages prompted the Coffeecat Corporation to consider opening a stand-alone Yogurt Café in Cebu, banking on its premium brand the "Yogo" frozen yogurt.

In an interview with Marie Peluchi R. Tan, the company's corporate secretary and district manager for Cebu, she said that the encouraging response of Cebu market, not only for its Davao-grown Coffeecat brand, but also for its wide option of frozen yogurt drink products that are now becoming a new "craze" in Cebu.

According to Tan, the company is still looking for the right place to put up it's yogurt specialty café in Cebu, preferably inside a shopping mall, or in a strategic stand alone location.

"We already have a stand alone "Yogo" Café in Davao, but inside the mall," Tan said adding that if the company can not get a place inside a shopping mall, it would opt to open in other leisure destination.

She said the new Coffeecat's "Yogo Café" may be opened early next year, "depends on the availability of the right location."

If this plan will finally be realized, Yogo Café, a specialty café outlet for yogurt lovers, and health buff, will be the first of its kind in Cebu.

Because of this, according to Tan, the company is also considering to formulate a franchise system that will offer franchise packages to both Coffeecat shop with Yogo, or Yogo Café alone.

Yogurt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. A Soy yogurt on the other hand is non-dairy yogurt alternative. It is a nutritious food/drink with unique health benefits-rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B(6) and vitamin B (12).

The "Yogo" yogurt brand on the other hand, Tan said boasts to have the finest mixture of fresh non-fat organic yogurt with probiotics and organic skimmed milk.

Each product is served with optional fruit toppings available, Tan added.

Coffeecat coffee shop opened at the Asia Town IT Park a few months back.

The Tan siblings from Davao, led by JC Tan, has introduced the one-year-old coffee brand in Cebu market, bravely competing with the giants in the coffee business including those established locally managed chain.

Coffeecat Corporation invested at least P3 million to P4 million to open up a coffee shop in Cebu at the Asia Town IT Park.

Aside from Coffeecat's distinctive coffee beverage products utilizing the famous Italian brand "Illy", its presence in Cebu is further accepted through its introduction of gour-met yogurt food/drink that hit the taste-buds of growing health-conscious customers from across market segments.

The Tan siblings, who grew up exposed to the construction business, have decided to put their common passion for food and coffee into a profitable venture. He said when one is starting a "business out of passion" not because of profit, "one can never go wrong."

The Cebu expansion for both Coffeecat coffee shop and its plan to strengthen a stand-alone brand of "Yogo" will jumpstart the company's plan to go nationwide. (FREEMAN)