Akasya Cafe quickly rose to recognition in the city of Talisay for its minimalist and homey interiors, decadent pastries, and coffee. In just a year, the coffee shop has become a sort of destination for coffee and pastry lovers from the metro.
The brain behind the lovely neighborhood cafe is 28-year-old Ciara Mendoza, a former Starbucks barista who had always been captivated by the intimate and restful aura of cafes in Europe—usually tucked away at the corner of busy streets.
Ciara shared how it’s always been a dream of hers to establish a patisserie of her own. She worked at Starbucks for six months in 2015 through 2016 and learned the motions of a coffee shop chain.
However, it was amid the pandemic that she was able to fully explore the craft of coffee making—beyond what she had already learned in her job as a Starbucks barista. She referred to it as a “kalingawan” in the extensive period of time the quarantine has imposed on the public.
“In the pandemic, to pass time, a person either became a plantita or a baker, or a chef. For me, I was able to try it all but I turned to coffee brewing.”
Ciara attributed the start of her business to her mother, who prompted her to turn her pastime into a full-grown brand. “My mom asked ‘Why not invest in turning it to a business?’”
That is how Akasya Cafe officially started—beside Ciara’s childhood home in Talisay, landmarked by locals as the place with the big Acacia tree. She’d hear locals tell tricycle drivers, “Dira lang sa naay Acacia nga kahoy,” and that caught on and became the namesake of the cafe.
When asked if she would expand outside the city of Talisay, Ciara had a solid answer and it was a no. She explained how she explicitly wanted Akasya to be a brand solely planted in the south.
There has been an influx of coffee shops in the city and simply put, Ciara wanted Akasya to be known as Talisay’s treasure.
She also expressed how Akasya’s appeal is tied to it being a small-town, neighborhood cafe. It is a more intimate location for friends who want to catch up with a quick cup of coffee.
The staff of Akasya Cafe are mostly women who, like Ciara, are passionate about the art of coffee. Ciara was able to ascribe her fondness of her female staff with being from St. Theresa’s College, which for most parts of its history is an all-girls Catholic school and known for its mission of empowering and uplifting women.
Ciara shared: “We’re more than just people who work together. They are a family to me. They’re like my sisters. I suppose the ease I feel with working closely with women is rooted from my many years in STC. I grew up empowered by female solidarity.”
Akasya Cafe now has two branches opened in Talisay. The first branch is located in Sangi Road, Tabunok and the second and newly opened branch is located in The Black Box, Pooc, Talisay. The cafe is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in both branches.