COFFEE and tea flavors that were previously accessible only to people on the road are now available in one of Manila’s biggest malls.

In 2002, the PTT Group launched the coffee shop chain Café Amazon which was linked to PTT service stations around Thailand. In the span of 15 years, the coffee shop chain expanded to over 2,000 stores in Southeast Asia and Japan. In 2016, Café Amazon arrived in the Philippines, with branches opening at the two-hectare PTT-SCTEx station, followed by another at PTT-Dasmariñas, Cavite. On Dec. 13 last year, Café Amazon was launched at SM North EDSA’s The Annex — its first branch in the country outside a gasoline station.

“[Because] it was successful in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, why not in the Philippines where demand for coffee is growing?” PTT Philippines Corp. Café Amazon business development executive Anusorn Preugpaibul told BusinessWorld. The coffee shop’s brand recognition is extensive since it “has been [around] for 15 years and we have over 2,000 stores in Southeast Asia and Japan,” he noted.

“We emphasize on [its being a] ‘green oasis’ which means we want customers to come in and chill… and look at Café Amazon as a meeting place [where] people would enjoy coffee and pastries,” Mr. Preugpaibul said of the “taste of nature” concept.

The cafe’s beverages range from 21 flavors of coffee, tea, juices and smoothies, and milk and chocolate. The best-sellers include Amazon coffee, hot cappuccino, iced white chocolate macchiato, lychee juice, green tea with milk, and its signature Thai tea with milk.

New drinks are launched every quarter and drinks that become popular are added to the regular product list. “The Thai tea and green tea are actually from seasonal drinks that have been popular among customers. And therefore, has been put in our regular menu,” said Mr. Preugpaibul, adding that the products are targeted to the middle class and millennials who want to enjoy affordable coffee.

PTT Philippines Corp. business partner developer Dianne Karla Maling said in a separate interview that they promote “the value for money” — citing the most expensive beverage is sold for P150 and they come in “high quality” cups with a volume greater than other beverage brands.

“Most of our iced and frappe products come in 22 oz size (except for some of the smoothies, lemon tea, and black tea that come in 16 oz size). The hot drinks come in 8 oz size,” Mr. Preugpaibul said in a text message. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

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