For Immediate Release: October 19, 2011 – Seattle’s Best Coffee Philippines kicked off the holidays by unveiling four new coffees available for a limited time at its locations nationwide. The four new blends: Chocolate Cherry, Coffee Hazelnut, Cookies and Mint, and Coffee Cream Pie, each personified by its corresponding holiday “Best Friend,” is a unique blend of rich flavors and holiday spirit. Seattle’s Best Coffee’s new brews compliment anyone’s personality while not forgetting to tickle their taste buds to jumpstart what is appropriately considered the “most wonderful time of the year.”
WORLD VISION PARTNERSHIP
The launch also served to unveil a new long-term partnership between the premium lifestyle coffee retailer and prominent children’s foundation, World Vision. World Vision is considered the largest child sponsorship agency globally. In the Philippines, World Vision currently helps improve the lives of more than 120,000 children and 16 million Filipinos in 33 provinces and 44 cities nationwide.
Both the best in their respective fields, Seattle’s Best Coffee Philippines and World Vision have joined together to provide children a chance to be the best they can be as well. Similar to its past holiday promotions, customers will receive stickers when they purchase one of Seattle’s Best Coffee’s new holiday or classic drinks from October 22, 2011 to January 22, 2012. When a total of 18 stickers are collected, customers present their completed “dream card” and redeem a leather journal loaded with, amongst other things: free music, goodies, food and drinks coupons, and up to 24 hours worth of free wifi at selected Seattle’s Best Coffee shop.
However, this year, instead of receiving one sticker, customers will receive two – one for their own Dream Card and the other for the World Vision Dream Tree. Visual Dream Trees will be installed in every Seattle’s Best Coffee shop where customers can stick their second stickers on. In the spirit of giving this holiday season, for every journal a customer redeems, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to World Vision, which will in turn be used to sponsor children in need to school.
“The Seattle’s Best team knows that being the best does not just happen,” says Rea Cruz, General Manager for Seattle’s Best Coffee. She goes on to share, “It takes work, it takes effort and sometimes, it takes a little help for someone to be able to achieve the best that they can be. This is why the partnership with World Vision is something that we are passionate about. We believe in what they are trying to achieve and we want to help make a difference in the lives of these children.”
Jun Godornes, World Vision OIC NRD Assistant Director, shares similar sentiments, stating, “The SBC – World Vision Partnership is something we’ve eagerly waited for. SBC is giving us another venue to engage the public and give them an opportunity to create lasting change in the lives of the children and families we serve. We feel that SBC is a strong ally in raising a generation of givers among Filipinos… especially the coffee lovers! At World Vision, we believe in the joy of giving. SBC is now providing an excellent channel for that.”
BEST OF THE BEST
Seattle’s Best Coffee’s name is its promise because its mission is to serve the best cup of coffee to each Guest, and its four new holiday blends are no exception to this rule. What differentiates Seattle’s Best Coffee from its competitors is its attention to detail from the coffee making process to satisfying each Guest with the service and coffee experience. Every step of the way, from cup to coffee to the cherry on top epitomizes excellence; a standard Seattle’s Best Coffee is proud to stand by.
“At Seattle’s Best, we believe that the coffee experience starts with taste,” says Seattle’s Best Marketing Officer, Eric Fontillas, who adds, “this belief has guided us in maintaining the quality of our products and thus, after 11 years in the business, we have managed to build a loyal base of customers who know what they want and don’t just go with the flow.”
For starters, Seattle’s Best Coffee works hand-in-hand with coffee farmers, cultivating decades-long relationships so that it always has access to the most premium beans from all regions across the globe. It is worth noting that Seattle’s Best Coffee Philippines imports each and every bean from the best locations anytime of the year to ensure that every cup of coffee served starts with the best ingredients.
From there, beans are carefully chosen for their nuances and flavor characteristics to produce the most optimal blend. To balance the coffee’s pleasantly crisp acidity with its full-bodied physique, for example, Seattle’s Best Coffee sources the best beans that embody these traits, then blend them together prior to roasting. Crafting the blends at this green stage allows the retailer to later achieve a roast that’s consistent.
Roasting is where the real magic happens. Each coffee type, depending on its intensity, requires its own finely calibrated roasting curve. Seattle’s Best Coffee’s long, gentle roasting process coaxes the optimum flavor out of each bean to produce the signature smoothness it is known for. Similar to slow cooking in a low-heat oven — the roasting process takes time but yields richer and more complex flavors.
Seattle’s Best Coffee is always served fresh. Quality is always its main priority, meaning beans are never pre- ground and stored for extensive periods of time and are likewise, never frozen to prolong their shelf life. Every cup is brewed fresh and under the same exact measurements so that it is not watered down but rather, rich, velvety and smooth all around. The time and patience it takes to create the perfect cup of coffee is unmatched and the main reason why Seattle’s Best Coffee can so confidently call its product the “Best.”
“Seattle’s Best has always been a fun brand. In fact, one of our cherished values is ‘to have fun,’ proclaims Seattle’s Best General Manager, Rea Cruz. We may have the best coffee but we don’t let that get to our heads and have remained very down to earth and close to our roots, maintaining a warm relationship with our Guests in all the areas we are present.” This brand personality and value is epitomized by the statement, “we at Seattle’s Best are pretty laid back, except when it comes to roasting coffee. Then things get pretty passionate. But we like passion, dedication and commitment. We like being authentic, and a little quirky. It’s honest. Like our coffee.”
Seattle’s Best Coffee’s four new holiday drinks along with the rest of its extensive menu of food and other beverages are available at 15 freestanding locations: Greenbelt 3 G/F; Bonifacio High Street; Valero Street, Makati City; Makati Medical Center; SM Megamall G/F; Cardinal Santos Hospital, San Juan, Manila; Trinoma 2/L; Katipunan Street – near Ateneo University; SM Mall of Asia G/F; Metropolitan Hospital G/F; Neo Plaza, Ongpin Street; Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3; Festival Mall 3/L; CALTEX SLEX – Southbound, Laguna; The Terraces G/F, Ayala Center, Cebu.
About Seattle’s Best Coffee’s Four New Holiday Drinks
Coffee Cream Pie (female friend)
Coffee Cream Pie is the perfect blend of the traditional coffee cream pie ingredients (toasted marshmallows, toffee syrup, dark and white chocolate) with espresso topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings. The blending is very smooth and relaxing — it’s not strong bitter coffee but rather a clear coffee taste that soothes and goes down very well. Similar to the character associated with it – the simple, relaxed, girl-next-door type of friend – Coffee Cream Pie is smooth, relaxing, easy-going and stress free.
Chocolate Cherry (female friend)
The taste of Chocolate Cherry is highly dependent on the taste buds of the customer. Some would describe it as sweet; others would describe the cherry taste as liquor-ish, while a few would describe the drink as a bit citrusy. The drink mixes cherry syrup and dark chocolate sauce with espresso topped with whipped cream and a cherry fruit to produce a myriad of different tastes inside your mouth. Just like the character associated with it, Chocolate Cherry has a sophisticated taste profile. It’s difficult to pin down and that’s exactly why people will get attracted to it.
Cookies & Mint (male friend)
Cookies & Mint is sweet and minty leaving you with a refreshing aftertaste. The drink flavors (dark chocolate and mint mixed with espresso) are familiar and never disappointing. Cookies & Mint is topped off with crushed Oreo cookies, which provides a nice texture and contrast to the smooth espresso. Cookies & Mint is exactly like the personality attached to it — the serious friend who is always reliable. He is always there to join you for the fun times or comfort you during the serious moments.
Coffee Hazelnut (male friend)
Coffee Hazelnut is a sweet drink mixing hazelnut, white chocolate sauce and slight hints of coconut with espresso topped with whipped cream and caramel grounds. The blend of hazelnut and espresso results in a drink that really perks you up. The drink is exactly like the character associated with it – a very casual, relaxed and goofy friend who has an innate way of livening things up and making everyone laugh.
About Seattle’s Best Coffee Philippines
Seattle’s Best Coffee Philippines has been serving the finest and premium coffee to its customers since 2000 and today serves hundreds of thousands of cups of coffee every month. Exclusively franchised by Coffee Masters Inc., Seattle’s Best Coffee Philippines offers a wide selction of beverages (coffees, teas, ice blends and non-coffee drinks), food (breakfast, light meals, pastries and desserts) and additional coffee related items (beans, tumblers and giftables). A freshly-brewed cup of Seattle’s Best Coffee is currently available at 15 unique locations throughout Metro Manila and Cebu.
And the best news of all is that Seattle’s Best is set to open 3 new branches this coming December. Two new cafes are set to open in Bonifacio Global City — mall-goers of Market!Market!, and the residents, young professionals and executives around One Mckinley, will now have easy access to the Best coffee in town! The 3rd new café will open in the San Juan area along Granada St.! All 3 new stores boast of very relaxing interiors, comfy seats and couches, wifi, friendly, efficient and well-trained baristas who will serve the perfect coffee to each and every guest.
For more information, please visit Seattle’s Best Coffee® Philippines online at www.seattlesbest.com.ph and become a member of the coffee community at www.facebook.com/SeattlesBestCoffeePhilippines.
About World Vision
World Vision is a Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization dedicated to working with the most vulnerable children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. With more than 50 years of experience in community organization and development, World Vision’s various programs, which are all geared towards its vision of fullness for every child, include the promotion of: sustainable development projects (education, health and nutrition, livelihood and utilities development, and values formation), emergency response and disater relief efforts, and overall public awerness for justice. For additional information, please visit World Vision online at www.worldvision.org.ph.
For additional details, please contact:
William Hsu
Monsters Centaur Production Inc.
+63.917.522.5161 whsu@monstersproduction.com
Charmaine Palermo
Monsters Centaur Production Inc.
+63.917.899.7902 cpalermo@monstersproduction.com
Eric Fontillas
Seattle’s Best Coffee
+63.917.596.4980
ericfontillas@sbc.com.ph