Japanese coffee chain, Omotesando Koffee, is opening its first store in the Philippines next month, located in Power Plant Mall, Makati City.
H&F Retail Concepts, the group behind luxury fashion brands Univers, Homme et Femme, Comme des Garson, Fred Perry and Balenciaga, will bring in the zen-style minimalist coffee shop concept from Tokyo.
News that Omotesando Koffee would open in Metro Manila initially surfaced late last year, when the brand’s Instagram page added “Manila” to a list of cities in its bio, alongside Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and London.
David Ong, owner and head barista of The Curator and Edsa Beverage Design Group who’s helping out with the cafe’s launch, posted a call-out on Instagram last Tuesday for interested baristas to apply.
“Well, the cat’s been out of the bag now,” said Ong. “This is just formalising it further. The opening of the first branch is fast approaching, and we’re helping out a little bit.”
According to Ong, two more sites is set to open this year. However, for the time being, only the first is hiring.
Omotesando Koffee started as a pop-up shop in Omotesando Hills, Tokyo, in 2011, gaining popularity for five years until it closed in 2015 due to being located in a “worn down” building.
A year later, the brand opened in Hong Kong, and subsequently branched out to cities worldwide, including a re-opening in Shibuya, Tokyo, as Koffee Mameya.
