‘The pandemic came, and my company was also affected. A lot of other companies were affected.’
With most people locked up in the safety of their homes during the pandemic, But First Coffee CEO Anna Magalona-Go thought of selling the brew that most Filipinos love and hit pay dirt.
Photographs by Duane Villanueva for Daily Tribune
But First Coffee CEO Anna Magalona-Go told Straight Talk hosts Chito Lozada and Teddy Montelibano that a small capital and determined grit led to the formation of the beloved coffee brand.
Coffee has become a staple of contemporary Filipino culture, with students and working professionals alike relying on caffeine to power through their day. A 2022 study found that 8 out of 10 Filipinos consume an average of 2.5 cups of coffee daily, while 93 percent of households purchase coffee weekly.
For entrepreneur Anna Magalona–Go, founder and CEO of But First Coffee, the surge in coffee consumption over the past half decade opened a promising business opportunity — one that came with the challenges all startups inevitably face.
After earning her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod in 2016, Magalona–Go was working at a fintech company in Metro Manila when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
“The pandemic came, and my company was also affected. A lot of other companies were affected,” she said on the Daily Tribune program Straight Talk.
At just 24, she saw the global economic downturn as a sign to build a small, self-sustaining source of income on the side.
“So I said to myself, why not create something that could at least sustain my day-to-day needs if I lose my job,” she added.
Humble start
In August 2020, she founded But First Coffee with only P6,000 in capital, operating out of her Makati condominium. With a simple coffee maker, beans, plastic cups, condensed milk, and homemade stickers, her first customers were friends, family, and condo residents.
She maximized the personal, hyperlocal style of pandemic-era business by offering free deliveries within Makati, gradually building goodwill and a growing clientele.
Her first major step forward came with a small kiosk inside her building — a co-leased space costing around P10,000 a month, funded by friends. Paired with strategic social media ads, the business quickly gained traction.
“My P6,000 became P12,000. Then it became P18,000,” she said.
Magalona–Go’s inspiration for her coffee blends came from the Bacolod cafés she frequented during her undergrad years.
“Every time during my break in college, I would go to those places and just have coffee and enjoy it with my friends.
It was strong with a kick, but also sweet at the same time. It’s balanced,” she said. “That’s something I was inspired by, and I brought that to Manila.”
The entrepreneurial spirit was what set Go apart from the rustic coffee shops that she adored but which appear content in their small corner.
Magalona-Go said the brand name reflected a sentiment familiar to most Filipinos. “Because, of course, our customers are coffee lovers, and they cannot start their day without coffee. So it’s coffee before anything else,” she said.
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After the kiosk’s success, Magalona-Go expanded through franchising, launching the first branch in Molino, Cavite.
Today, But First Coffee has more than 250 locations nationwide and employs over 2,000 people.
Remaining consumer-centric has always been her guiding principle. With large 16oz drinks priced at around P150, the brand has carved a niche by keeping costs accessible even as coffee shop competition grows in Metro Manila.
“That’s our goal — to maintain accessibility and affordability,” she said.
From humble beginnings during the pandemic to a nationwide coffee chain, Anna Magalona–Go’s entrepreneurial journey is a story of grit, creativity, and finding opportunity in crisis — all from a cup of joe.
