Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd. (UCC) Holdings Japan, a global integrated coffee business, has recently unveiled a state-of-the-art showroom and headquarters for Allegro Beverage Corporation in Mandaluyong City.
“UCC, which is number one in Japan and has presence in nine countries, and Allegro Beverage, one of the Philippines’ largest importers and distributors of coffee machines, complement each other,” said UCC Holdings Executive Officer Kosuke Fujishima.
“We both offer total coffee solutions, and with UCC’s acquisition of Allegro, we are bringing Allegro to a global level. Not many can make that claim that they are supported by a global brand,” Fujishima added.
The new showroom features premier coffee machine brands distributed nationwide, such as Nuova Simonelli and Victoria Arduino from Italy, Crem from Sweden, FRANKE Coffee Systems from Switzerland, and Mahlkönig from Germany, among others.
The facility houses a service center for coffee machine maintenance to ensure that Allegro’s corporate clientele, which includes leading hotels, franchise chains, culinary institutions, restaurants, and cafes, will now have access to an expanded range of coffee solutions and innovations.
Allegro Beverage products also include sauces, syrups, teas, oat milk, and top-of-the-line coffee roasted by UCC.
Hubert Young, President and Chief Executive Officer of UCC Philippines, likened the partnership to achieving “the Porsche of coffee solutions” as they operate across the entire coffee value chain — from farm to cup.
Young said they will soon be offering coffee machines for households as an offshoot of the pandemic trend of brewing at home.
“The pandemic actually opened a new market for us,” he said.
For Yasmin Vasquez, chief executive officer of Allegro Beverage, the synergy with UCC as well as the launching of the new showroom allows both firms to “brew new opportunities.”
“We will eventually roll out our home-use equipment to meet goal of being holistic coffee solutions provider in Philippines,” she said.
In the pipeline as well, she said, is the start of dealerships in Albay in October and another in Palawan within the year.
Currently, Allegro Beverage has branches in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, and Pampanga, as well as dealerships in Bohol, Cavite, Laguna, Pangasinan, Quezon Province, and Iloilo.
“Filipinos are going for premium coffee. Most don’t mind paying more. The choices are becoming very dynamic from flavored coffee to specialty ones to single origin coffee,” Vasquez said.
“With our new showroom and with UCC backing us up, we are confident that we will be able to welcome all our clients who would like to test our machines and products for better ideation for their own beverage usinesses. This synergy sets us apart among all our competitors,” she added.