There was a time when the only good coffee places worth going to in Metro Manila were international coffee chains like Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, CBTL, and UCC. But now, there are cafés and coffee shops everywhere even though it hasn’t been that long since coffee culture in the Philippines began growing exponentially.
While there are more choices today where one can get their caffeine fix, coffee shops in general have seen their share of better days because of the pandemic. Fortunately, a lot of cafes in the metro as well as most commercial hubs around the country have started to adapt sustainable practices. For consumers and business owners, it is important to know what makes an establishment sustainable.
A coffee shop or café can be considered sustainable when it follows certain practices that do not impact the environment negatively, like using wooden stirrers instead of plastic, using recyclable take-away containers, or even having a compost pile for organic waste products. This also applies when it comes to where and how their products, mainly coffee beans, are sourced. If coffee beans are sourced in a way that’s socially and environmentally fair, then it is considered sustainable.
Among the countless coffee shops and cafes around Metro Manila, here are the best sustainable cafes you can visit today.
SGD Coffee Bodega
One of the best things you can do in the sleepy town of Sagada is enjoy their local coffee. But if you don’t have the energy for a 15-hour drive, make your way to Teacher’s Village for that same Sagada brew. Serving Médaille Gourmet Award-winning beans for as little as P120 per cup, SGD Coffee Bodega is a popular work hub for students in the area, professionals working remotely, or anyone looking for Sagada inspired all day breakfast.
Blocleaf Café
A proud partner of Kalsada, a single origin coffee distribution company, Blocleaf Café wows its patrons with its Japanese aesthetics and amazing coffee. Besides some sustainable practices, they are also allies to several movements such as gender equality and inclusive mobility. Their popular single-origin cookies are best enjoyed fresh but having them to go isn’t so bad, especially with their eco-friendly packaging.
Commune
It might be counterintuitive for a coffee shop to teach its patrons how to brew their own coffee at home but it does help lessen the overall carbon footprint of an establishment. This is just one of the many initiatives Commune has taken to be more sustainable. 100% of their beans come from different regions throughout the Philippines and were ethically sourced.
Visit the page below to know more about why we should love local and how we can support local businesses to transform our cities:
https://www.greenpeace.org/philippines/act/lovelocalph/
