Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. It contains caffeine, which acts as stimulant, and college students can’t seem to get enough of it especially if we plan to stay up all night to study. A good coffee break in the afternoon also helps us re-boost our energy.
Not all people are blessed with the money to dish out P200 for Starbucks and the 3 in 1 coffee gets bland if you keep having it. Fortunately, a group of BA students opened CAPPACOPEE, a coffee shop at the new Law and Business Building. Their brew has the taste of Starbucks but half the price, according to Diza Rose Ong. Ong heads the group of students that created the shop out of their thesis.
Why did you choose a coffee shop for a thesis?
We wanted to open the coffee shop in school because there is a market, based on our research last semester. Second is that there is no coffee shop here unlike in other schools. We are not afraid of opening here in school because we would not be a direct competition to Steyler, the school’s official cafeteria. It was also lucky that the new Law Building was put up. We want to be a good example, a good product of the Department, a coffee shop which is run by students for the students of the university, and in the university.
How did it get started?
It’s a part of the curriculum of Businesses Administration double major in Marketing Management and Entrepreneurship. The members were chosen from the Department. This has been going on for a couple of years but the other corporations prior to us were allowed to choose their own members. As for our group, we weren’t allowed to choose our own members because our population is so big. For the graduating students, we are about a hundred compared to the forty prior to our level. They had to level it up and that’s how we got involved in this. We started with a project feasibility study where we had to examine the four parts of a business and test the parts, business and the market itself, and it went on from there.
Did you guys train to become baristas?
The suppliers actually trained us. As owners have to know the ins and outs of our business. It was not that intensive, but we had to schedule different practice (sessions) to make sure we mastered it and got it right because making coffee is a delicate art and once you go wrong then everything goes wrong. I mean, as a coffee drinker yourself you have to choose the kind of coffee, comparing 3 in 1 from a freshly brewed cup of coffee. We had other options, like getting other baristas, but due to financial constrains, we had to do it ourselves.
How’s everybody reacting to the shop?
I know it’s only been a month since we started but it’s very good actually. We’ve already coordinated with our Department and with our Dean for the improvements of the place because people have been suggesting things, like lighting, flooring, etc. But the credit has to go to the school.
What’s the hottest item in the menu?
The cold drinks. We call them the chilled blends, especially the cappuccino, cookies and cream, and chocolate. It’s so hot that we sometimes can’t catch up to get the things that we need because it gets consumed before the end of the day. Aside from that, the breads also sell fast.
Text for deliveries: Just type NAME<space>ORDER<space> LOCATION (what room, etc.) <space>AMOUNT and send to 09236431477. Look for Stevens or Kyshia.
The students behind Cappacopee
By Ann Noval, BS Psych 3 - USC Website Correspondent
