Philippine Brewers Cup 2020 champion, and The Good Cup Coffee Company president Gio Visitacion shares how they grew their customer base and went global in the middle of a pandemic.
Less than five years ago, Gio Visitacion had a completely different life. “Before The Good Cup, it was all about music,” he begins. His passion for DJing allowed him to travel all over the country to provide musical entertainment for parties, event launches, clubs, and festivals. He also had a small trading business for school supplies which he did alongside the family business where he acted as marketing head.
Today, he is the president of The Good Cup Coffee Company, probably the fastest-growing coffee roaster in Cebu—if not the entire Philippines—and known amongst coffee aficionados for their wide selection of premium imported and local coffee beans. Not bad for someone who only a few years ago saw the beverage as “an instant drink that I wasn’t particularly drawn to.” It was in 2017 when Gio walked into specialty shop Yardstick Coffee in Legazpi Village and had his first sip of their brew when he realised he found his new favourite drink. From then on, Gio admits, he “became obsessed.”
The Good Cup Coffee Company was initially a brick-and-mortar cafe, coffee academy, and a roaster supplying to other local food establishments. Since then, they have developed a following in Cebu, but really made it to the mainstream when the pandemic hit, forcing them to switch their business model. To be able to continue offering their beans, they shifted to online selling to cater to a new category of coffee lovers who were left with not much choice but to start brewing their own coffee at home.
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