Barangay San Antonio (San Antonio Village) in Makati isn’t exactly the spot where you’ll find rows of craft kitchens or bars to visit for lunch or after a day’s work, but there sure are hole-in-the-wall places if you want to hide, eat, and work in peace away from the pressures of the daily grind.
Coffee shops are starting to sprout, too, and this production house along the stretch of St. Paul Street has a small café called And Then Co. that serves quality coffee and soft serve ice cream to help us get through the day.
The coffees are a blend of local beans and beans sourced from Brazil, Costa Rica, and Ethiopia. They work with small farms and roasters who work with small farms for the supply. It’s all you need to know, really.
Their drinks are made in the simplest form; no fancy add-ons or anything. “We want people to enjoy specialty coffee that’s easy on the taste and easy to digest. Not too wild na parang super sour,” says co-owner Miguel Papa.
The soft-serve ice cream (in cereal milk and coffee flavors) has minimal sweeteners and uses regular cornflakes so people can order them every day “and not blow up,” according to Papa.
And Then Co. has been running on soft operations for about five months already. They also deliver bottles of cold brew coffee to neighbors and friends. “We use bottles so no plastic. And after customers are done, they send them back for us to sanitize, sterilize, and do everything. Some of the bottles are reused, some are recycled, and some are from our supplier.”
Papa was actually a barista at El Union Coffee while starting out in the coffee business and before And Then Co. At the time, he was not aware that he was being trained by one—if not the best—coffee makers in the country. And the lessons were for free, too. “In retrospect, I was like, ‘F*ck, I’m so lucky I learned everything from Kiddo [Cosio] and El Union.”
His partner, Luis Tabuena, is as hands-on with the café as his directorial work. Both their passion for coffee led them to conduct coffee-making lessons to anyone interested in learning the craft. “Since then, it became my quiet promise that I will help anyone who wants to learn about coffee for free. Even regular customers can learn here; I’m just paying it forward.”
And Then Co. is located at 7749 St. Paul Street, San Antonio Village, Makati
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Writer: JANICA BALASOLLA
PHOTOGRAPHY DANICA CONDEZ
