This coffee shop aims to bring a taste of France along with paying it forward to the community
For some of us, coffee is an integral part of our daily routine. Regardless if it’s due to a lack of sleep or the natural difficulty the morning presents, sometimes all we need is a cup of coffee to get our processes in order. When we might need a change of scenery, coffee shops are there to become our workspaces for the day, with their homey ambiance providing a much-welcome environment.
Amid all the coffee shop chains in the country, enter Malongo’s Atelier Barista. With them is the attempt to bring French tastes to local shores while also keeping in line with corporate social responsibilities.
For the people
As earlier stated, Malongo’s base uniqueness comes from their authentic French coffee and cuisine offering, making them stand out from the common American-based chains locally. Aside from cultural differences, there are nutritional differences in how they are made.
According to Malongo CEO Jean-Pierre Blanc, the core difference lies in the fact that French coffee has less fat and sugar. Rather than going for ingredients that contain these, organic ingredients are in place instead.
“We try to avoid giving too much sugar and fat to the consumers. We think that we all have the responsibility on what we give to the consumers,” he said.
When it came to ensuring French authenticity, it all boiled down to staff training. To do this, they sent trainers from France itself. According to Blanc, this was only made easier due to Filipino staffers’ meticulous nature.
And when asked about any local adjustments, it was reassured that authenticity was key for Malongo. “Beyond the different cultures of taste, the principal aim is to discover the real taste of the product. We don’t want to adapt it, we don’t want to transform it. We want to give the people [the opportunity to] taste real [French] coffee,” Blanc and Director for Exportations Henri Rodriguez explained.
But it’s not only in bringing French coffee that Malongo aims to make an impact.
Extended responsibilities
Malongo also prides itself on paying it forward to coffee bean growers, which in turn leads to product improvements along with fair trade policies. According to Blanc, they currently have partnerships with countries such as Myanmar, Laos, and Bolivia that involve improving local plantations within them.
“The aim is to give a better way of life to the plantations, to the growers, and to improve their [quality of] life,” says Blanc, who adds that Malongo technicians also oversee these said improvements.
There is also the setup of their coffee shop, which is described as a step into the “coffee universe” by Rodriguez. Aside from the French coffee experience, Malongo’s cafes also offer the opportunity for tastings, viewing roasting processes, and a boutique that offers their wide range of beans and coffee-related machinery.
As of writing, they have two branches in Bonifacio Global City and the Greenbelt Hamilton towers—which are also the first two branches outside of France. For now, the basic goal is to establish a locally unique feel that’s different from their peers, along with quality over quantity.
“The aim is not only the quantity of the shops we can do here but [rather] the quality that we can propose to the consumers. We prefer two boutiques which would be well managed, than one hundred boutiques with a lower quality of service.”
