A coffee lover's passion for her libation of choice has made her into an entrepreneur — thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic which gave her the confidence in honing her business abilities in sharing her coffee beans with customers needing a caffeine fix.

"We started during the pandemic, that is, in March 2020. It was a hard lockdown where people were barred from going out of their houses. So what my partner and I did, since we are in the coffee industry, was to conceptualize a business that would sell through delivery coffee beans for those who can't go out to buy coffee," said coffee entrepreneur Jerica Paula Eustaquio, who owns Coffee + Roast over the Daily Tribune's morning show, Gising Na!

"We started in July 2020. Then a year after, on October 2021, we decided to have a small coffee bar inside a small chocolate shop so we can showcase other drinks aside from coffee," she said.

What sets her business apart is that she sources the coffee bean locally, helping local coffee farmers in the country.

Helping local farmers

"The objective actually is to help local coffee farmers. Personally, I worked with various coffee shops and I saw that all coffee beans are imported. I believe that we have one-of-a-kind coffee beans here in the country so why do we need to import? Why not highlight our local coffee beans?" she said.

Further, Eustaquio stressed that they already mastered concocting various drinks and beverages out of their coffee, quenching the urge of their customers for caffeine.

"Actually, drinks that we have formulated are based on the customer's request. And we excelled on that," Eustaquio stated.

She said they buy their coffee beans from the highlands in the north, namely the Cordilleras and Benguet.

Eustaquio said the price range is relatively low compared to famous brands since the coffee beans are locally sourced.

"Customers can buy coffee ground or barako at P140 only for 200 grams," she said.

Coffee + Roast will be one of the participants in the upcoming Tindahan ni Tarsee Bazaar in Ayala Malls Manila Bay from 25 to 27 November 2022, a project conceptualized by Daily Tribune to help micro, small and medium enterprises in showcasing their products.