ONE of the more successful franchises in the coffee business is now here in Cagayan de Oro.

Figaro Coffee Systems, Inc. had a successful opening -- their very first branch in the city -- Friday morning at Rosario Arcade in Limketkai Center. Here, they will continue its tradition of serving the finest native "barako" coffee in the country.

"After penetrating the international market, we are now keeping a critical eye on expanding in our home-market, which will zero-in mostly on business districts around the country as we want more and more people to experience the sophisticated European coffee culture through our local barako coffee," Ace L. Azarraga, Marketing Services manager of Figaro Coffee Systems Inc, said.

The firm currently ranked as No. 1 Filipino coffee company to date with a whopping 22 percent share of the total market in terms of sales.

Philippine Airlines (PAL), the country’s flag carrier, serves exclusively Figaro coffee in their domestic and international flights.

Figaro is set to open 35 to 40 more branches all over the country, promising more exciting coffee blends, updated menu and more promotional programs to satisfy its growing number of customers. To date, they have 86 stores nationwide.

"With our new marketing strategies, we believe that the Figaro brand can capture a larger share of the coffee segment by providing a variety of new products to a broader spectrum of customers," Azarraga said.

Humble beginnings

Although hugely successful as a business, Figaro started with humble beginnings.

In an exclusive interview with Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, Jose Fernando "Pepe" Alcantara, Figaro's president and chief executive officer, said they started as a non-government organization (NGO) concept way back in 1993.

They have been in the coffee business for 12 years now and have maintained to be a wholly Filipino-owned company.

"Our primary aim is to help the coffee farmers in the country by engaging them in contract farming and introducing organic coffee farming, thus bringing the production costs down," Alcantara said.

Alcantara lamented the virtual none support of government to the coffee industry considering that the Philippines, in the past, had been ranked 4th in world.

"With the pricing and none support (of government) it (coffee industry) died down to the point that we now have to import coffee," Alcantara said.

Reason, he added, that they have the Figaro Foundation Inc. to reach out and help the coffee farmers.

Their foundation, Alcantara said, is in charged with the technology transfer to coffee farmers and aids them with international organic certification.

By buying directly to coffee farmers, he said, they have eliminated the middle players, thus benefiting the farmers more in terms of pricing.

Stickler to quality

"When we purchase we give more premium on quality rather than quantity," Alcantara said.

As a stickler to quality, Alcantara said he guarantee that each cup comes from high quality beans, freshly roasted and ground.

"We only brew beans not more than three months from roasting," Alcantara beamed.

As of now, their branch over at Limketkai Center may look like it only caters "executive" types but Alcantara adds that they have the Figaro Coffee Club (FCC) "to reach out to a younger, a more preppy market."

Alcantara said they also plan to broaden their market niche by making coffee more affordable. The company, he said, also plan to introduce brewed coffee sold in mobile carts which will be priced considerably lower than what they presently offer in Figaro coffee shops.

"This is to make our coffee more available to the public. The mobile will be four to five feet long and would be a one to three-man operation. These would be fielded in schools and workplaces and we are considering a lower price in our coffee in these mobile modules," Alcantara said.

Established in 1993, Figaro is a 100-percent Filipino-owned company whose product lines include specialty roasted coffee varieties and pastries.