JUST like most of the Filipinos, buko pie is one of Faith Armstrong’s favorite snacks. However, as much as she loves the gooey texture of the baked young coconut pulp in a tasty crust, she believes traditional buko pies can be more interesting.
“I decided to come up with a unique buko pie recipe and called it Buko Crumble because the topping is a bit crunchy and crumbly,” she said.
Armstrong, a real estate salesperson who loves to bake and experiment, borrowed the recipe initially done to her another go-to-snack, apple pies. It was also the fondness she shared with her husband.
“We love apple crumble so we thought, why not make buko crumble since buko is one of our main commodities in the Philippines,” she said.
It took her a week before she became satisfied with its texture of the crust, filling, and taste.
Her unique Buko Crumble became the main crowd magnet when she established Buko at Kape in 2018, a snack bar for fans of buko and coffee tandem. She also offered Biko Bukayo, a daring fusion of the sweetened sticky rice and caramelized young coconut meat.
Her other types of snacks are Chocolate Chip Cookies, Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Chip Muffins, Brownies, and Cheesy Beef Empanada.
“We have a lot of loyal customers because of our buko crumble. It was a big hit to our customers. Our Biko Bukayo was a new addition and it was a big hit too. Cookies and brownies are mostly ordered by students,” she said.
“We also try to put as much buko and coffee into our recipes because of our name,” she added.
She was soon tapped by companies to provide snacks during their meetings, ventured into delivering them to other customers, and gained resellers, all these on top of her stall inside Damosa Market Basket.
“Daghan mig orders and balik-balikan lalo na sa mga taga-Damosa. Sila amoang main customers that time [we started]. Karon medyo na spread na amoang customers (People residing near Damosa were most of our customers when we started but now, we have customers from other places),” she said.
However, she limits baking her sweet and savory treats especially for deliveries.
“Our average, mga eight to ten dozens per day of buko crumble. Pag ten dozens na, dili nami mu accept og order. For next day na. Sa biko, naa sa mga eight to 12 trays. Maliit lang kasi kitchen namin (We make an average of eight to 10 dozens per day of buko crumble and eight to 12 trays for biko bukayo. We limit the production because our kitchen is still small),” she said.
Armstrong admitted that the ongoing health crisis has affected the supply of coconut.
“Right now, our biggest challenge is getting supplies. Mahirap makakita ng consistent na supplier ng buko (It is difficult to find a consistent supplier of young coconut) and in keeping the prices affordable for the customers,” she said.
She usually sources young coconut in Calinan but because her suppliers struggle to deliver, she has to look for another producer and found one in Mandug.
“Mas mahal sad karon ang buko. Siguro maglisod silag pasulod sa Davao City. Mas mura siya before Covid-19 (Young coconut is expensive now compared to its price before Covid-19 hit the city),” she said.
Nonetheless, she felt fulfilled with the fact that Buko at Kape not only satisfied her cravings for buko pies but also able to help other people.
“Malipay lang mi makahatag mig work and income sa among mga staff through Buko at Kape (We are happy that we were able to provide work and income to our staff),” she said, adding she currently handles five staff.
“I think they also learned so much from Buko at Kape din. Everybody gets to learn and do everything, from baking to selling. And I told them if they decide to start their own business from their homes, they can already do it,” she added.
She also got the chance to meet people who are passionate about local coffee and supported other local businesses by buying their products.
Armstrong plans to build a bigger store someday and become a place for local and unique merienda or coffee shop in Davao City.