Loudbasstard’s Koh Onozawa (left) and Bo’s Coffee’s Steve Benitez talking to the press. (CDN PHOTO/BJORN TABANERA)
In its effort to re-brand as a bolder Filipino company, Bo’s Coffee is partnering with two other leading Cebu-based enterprises.
Bo’s Coffee CEO Steve Benitez says he’s geared towards creating a more popular Filipino-themed ambiance for coffee lovers.
In addition to tapping Anthill for their fabric designs and getting Kenneth Cobonpue to design elegant light fixtures, Bo’s Coffee is now teaming up with the local indie record label 22Tango Records (pronounced two to tango) and Cebu-based Loudbasstard, a company that manufactures music amplifiers using bamboo.
Benitez says he’s excited with the new direction of the brand as it promotes the rich Filipino culture.
For him, music and coffee is a “perfect combination.”
The mission of Bo’s coffee (CDN PHOTO/BJORN TABANERA)
In his quest to navigate his company’s direction into the All-Pinoy concept, Benitez envisions that only music from local artists signed under 22Tango Records will be played inside the cafe.
On the other hand, people who prefer to sip coffee outside the shop have the liberty of playing the kind of music they want using their own music players or smartphones with the useful help of amplifiers from Loudbasstard positioned in their respective corners and tables.
This way, customers don’t just enjoy their orders, they enjoy good music, too.
“(I’ve always wanted to) put that indie music into the world. (The goal of) Bo’s Coffee is to be an enabler of homegrown talents and help expose them,” Benitez said.
For her part, 22Tango Records artist and founder Cattski Espina mentioned that an artist’s goal is to “tell stories.” She goes on to say that what 22Tango Records aims to achieve is to help local artists “from songwriting to producing music.”
“When I speak to a musician I always ask them, unsa man ka, mag pop star or mag-artist? Kay if you want to be a pop star, I can’t help you. I don’t know how to do that. But if you want to be an artist, I can help you out,” she told CDN.
Making Sweet Harmony Together (CDN PHOTO/BJORN TABANERA)
Benitez says he’s happy with this partnership because they have the same aspirations. “The common thing all three of us (Bo’s Coffee, Loudbasstard, and 22Tango Records) have is that we’re all local (business) with global standards,” he said.
Since all three entities are homegrown, asked if only Cebuano music will be pushed nationwide, Benitez says his goal is to be a “Philippine brand.” Benitez went on to say that he’s also out to set certain arrangements with local indie artists from Mindanao and Luzon, so their music can be played around their respective regions.
For her part, Administrative Director Juli-Anna McGovern of Loudbasstard also talked about working as one with Bo’s as its main goal is to “put a stamp on a homegrown brand, and bring that abroad.”
“The Loudbasstard amplifiers will be in the (outside area) for people who want to enjoy their cup of coffee there. That way, every person can enjoy their own music, and when they think music they think Bo’s and when they think Bo’s they think music, and it goes hand in hand. Because it really does make for the perfect experience when you listen to your own music with your group of friends,” she told CDN.
Bo’s Coffee’s wider variety of pastries and sandwiches (CDN PHOTO/BJORN TABANERA)
“We began our re-branding October of last year. So hopefully by the end of this year, we get to re-brand all of the shops,” said Michelle Lim, Bo’s Coffee’s Music and Art Director
According to Lim, Bo’s Coffee currently has 62 stores nationwide.
Watch Cattski Espina’s performance of her original composition.
