THE vision of helping and empowering women brought Bloom Cakes and Coffee, located at Saturnino Road, Banilad, Cebu City, to life.
The advocacy was started by a couple named Ruth and Murray Larwill, who worked in Cambodia. They saw a lot of marginalized women that gave the couple the urge to pull them out of poverty and isolation from the society.
The couple thought about starting a business, which for them was the most sustainable way to help those young women.
It was in 2009 when the advocacy unfurled and was brought to the Philippines.
Through partnerships with local organizations, they were able to reach out to young women, brought them to Bloom Life Training Philippines, a non-profit organization which trains young women in baking, cake making, sugar art training, and barista skills.
After four to six months of training, they will be employed to work for Bloom Cafe when they have completed their training.
Dahl Estrada, member of the board of directors of Bloom, said that it is through this that the young women will be empowered.
“We see a lot of unemployment and these girls could not get the right education. This (cafe) is an answer to that,” said Estrada.
Estrada also noted that their business model helps bring out talent from their beneficiaries without them having to spend for a college education.
She hopes the passion and commitment that the directors and employees have for their advocacy it reflects on the taste of the cakes that they are selling.
Bloom serves fifty various flavors of cakes and cupcakes, with some of it featuring Filipino flavors like the lemoncito. Their cakes and cupcakes, as well as their coffees and frappes, have detailed and intricate designs. They also have their own signature product, the Cakeshake, a shake topped with cupcake.
“You’ll be amazed how they do it. Dahan-dahan. Look at the details that they put to it. They really take their time,” Estrada commended.
She added that aside from the skills they teach in their training, they also teach them to make it with love.
Ivy Aloy, Bloom LTP Inc. administrator, highlighted their cake art gallery, which includes their designer cakes. She also shared that in Cambodia, they are known for their big, multi-layered cakes.
Bloom Cakes and Coffee in Cebu is the first in the Philippines, with two other branches located in Cambodia. It is now working with BLTPI, their training arm, to be accredited to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Bloom Cakes and Coffee had their grand opening last Saturday. (JERRA MAE LIBREA / USJ-R Intern)