Roadside cafes and al fresco coffee shops aren’t new at this point in time. But somehow, Resonate Coffee feels different from the myriad microentrepreneurs we see springing up constantly on social media.

Euphoric in their story, the former baristas behind this bare-bones Marikina cafe pull heavily from their combined 10 years’ experience working in cafes, moments of fearlessness, and sentimentality for all things slow. 

That Wilbert Morada and John Lorenz Santos, both 30, came from commercial coffee shops doesn’t take away from the slow bar concept they intend to cultivate at Resonate Coffee. Nor does it automatically translate into smooth sailing.

“Actually madali [to open a cafe with our background] pero ’yung [segment] na pinasok namin, which is specialty coffee, hindi namin laging ginagawa dun sa coffee shop before,” says Wilbert Morada.

“Actually madali [to open a cafe with our background] pero ’yung [segment] na pinasok namin, which is specialty coffee, hindi namin laging ginagawa dun sa coffee shop before,” says Morada. “Sobrang layo kasi commercial coffee shop kami before. Every day is a learning experience for us when it comes to specialty coffee.”

(It’s easier to [open a cafe with our background] but the segment we chose, which is specialty coffee, we didn’t usually get to do back in the coffee shop before. It’s far from what we’re used to in the commercial coffee shop we worked at. Every day is a learning experience for us when it comes to specialty coffee.)

Still, the coffee-loving co-owners man Resonate Coffee with a certain satisfaction that takes customers on a leisurely coast across the local and global coffee map.

Getting started on a mountain

Resonate Coffee’s beginnings, however, started on an uphill climb—literally—on the fringes of Timberland Heights in San Mateo, Rizal.

“Nawalan ako ng business dahil sa pandemic,” admits Morada. “Tapos inaya ko si Lorenz to put up an online cold brew [business] then sabi ng dad niya, ‘Bakit hindi kayo magbenta doon sa Timberland?’ Nag-try kami and okay naman.” 

(I lost a business because of the pandemic. Then I invited Lorenz to put up an online cold brew business. Then his dad said “Why don’t you sell at Timberland?” We tried it and it was okay.)

In their first week, the duo sold two to three cold brew bottles before they shifted to brewing hot coffee using Lorenz’s old equipment. 

After generating interest on their vehicle’s trunk and a pop-up kiosk hopping around Marikina and Quezon City in August 2020, Resonate Coffee has now found a more permanent and mainstream location in its full-fledged store in Marikina Heights.

“The plan was gusto lang talaga namin tikman ’yung beans then naiipon siya ng naiipon then sabi namin, ‘Bakit hindi natin ibenta? Try lang natin. Share lang natin sa customers kahit break even lang.’”

(The plan was just to taste the beans we purchased then we kept on stocking them until we said “Why don’t we sell these? Let’s try it. Let’s share these with customers even if we just break even.”)

After generating interest on their vehicle’s trunk and a pop-up kiosk hopping around Marikina and Quezon City in August 2020, Resonate Coffee has now found a more permanent and mainstream location in its full-fledged store in Marikina Heights.

Coffee shops are “third places”

On the day we visited, a customer who walked in out of curiosity recognized the two from their old kiosk, struck up a conversation, and exchanged pleasantries before settling on a little table outside. 

This connection with customers is one of the driving forces behind Resonate Coffee. After all, drawing people together and promoting a sense of belonging are key functions of any foodservice establishment.

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined a term for that—“third places” or spaces where people spend time outside home and work, and where community and conversation are fostered. Think cultural centers, parks, and bookstores or any place where communities are built.

“It is in the local diner, tavern, or coffee shop that those who face common problems find their common ground, give substance and articulation to group sentiment, and offer social support to one another,” writes Oldenburg in “The Great Good Place.”

“Nakakatuwa na sakto lang na nag-boom ’yung biking then coffee agad then ayun, half ng community ng Resonate Coffee is bikers talaga kaya itong setup… half is al fresco for the bikers talaga,” says Wilbert Morada.

Morada and Santos’s realization to finally open a brick and mortar may have felt like a leap of faith but, as it turns out, it was also an opportunity to capitalize on Filipinos’ growing taste for specialty coffee, continue transforming the city, and strengthen the sense of community—even unintentionally.

“Nakakatuwa na sakto lang na nag-boom ’yung biking then coffee agad then ayun, half ng community ng Resonate Coffee is bikers talaga kaya itong setup… half is al fresco for the bikers talaga,” says Morada.

(It’s nice that we were perfectly timed with the bike-coffee boom… naturally half of the Resonate Coffee community are bikers, which is why this setup is the way it is—the al fresco area is really for bikers.)

Pandemic-proofing the space

When you look at its facade, Resonate Coffee is a whole mood, one that echoes with a no-nonsense feeling and sense of belonging wherever you decide to sit and sip any of its 10 concoctions. 

The 50-square-meter hybrid space reinforces the duo’s vision to respond to the new reality of restaurant and cafe layouts in the pandemic: a space for customers who may want to stay inside the intimate air-conditioned space or outside the more spacious concrete box that normally brings a bevy of bikers in.

Coincidentally, this versatile setup is also a response to the possibility of changing alert levels in the capital—one that can accommodate takeout or al fresco dining. But in essence, it’s also about establishing presence and persona in a city rife with a maturing coffee audience. 

The online touchpoint, meanwhile, is still up and running. They don’t have a third party-managed website or app so they can still communicate and interact with customers depending on their needs.

What’s on the Resonate Coffee menu?

The menu’s brief is a tight yet eclectic collection of flavors. The narrative, Santos says, is just as much as broadening horizons as it is bringing the slow bar experience to the forefront. 

“Gusto namin i-offer ’yung gusto rin namin. Pero binabalance din namin siya para wide din ’yung choices ng customer so we ensure na may local coffee or local roasters,” Santos says. 

Less intimidating than most coffee chains, the Resonate Coffee menu is simple but multidimensional—using an espresso base made with beans from Brazil and Ethiopia.

(We want to offer what we like as well. But we balance this for customers to have a wide range of choices and to ensure that we have local coffee or local roasters.)

Less intimidating than most coffee chains, the Resonate Coffee menu is simple but multidimensional—using an espresso base made with beans from Brazil and Ethiopia.

From simple Americanos and flat whites to filter coffees made with Pigtauranan Bukidnon or Colombia Finca La Piragua beans, it’s easy to find a brew that fits numerous palates. 

The iced Honey Lemon Americano is akin to a refreshing mocktail with just the right amount of intensity from the honey lemon syrup and a spritz of rosemary aroma. The cortado, or “duet” as they call it, is perhaps emblematic of the cafe’s personality. “Hiniwalay lang namin ’yung portion ng espresso and milk base so you have two experiences in one order,” says Santos. 

(We just separated the espresso and milk base so you have two experiences in one order.)

Enjoy the journey

Morada and Santos are the only active players in the shop, which tells you much about the nonexistent overhead they incur. Granted, a cafe of this size roughly requires P300,000 to P500,000 in capital to get started, which includes rent, supplies, permits, and equipment.

A cafe of this size roughly requires P300,000 to P500,000 in capital to get started, which includes rent, supplies, permits, and equipment.

It’s a huge jump from Resonate Coffee’s low-key beginnings, if you think about it, but the pair’s journey paints a picture of the many surprising possibilities that small entrepreneurs can achieve. 

“Huwag nilang i-limit ’yung sarili nila kung ano ’yung pwede nilang gawin,” advises Santos. “Tulad ng ginawa namin sa Resonate Coffee, hindi rin kami sumuko or nakinig sa sinasabi ng iba.”

(Don’t limit yourself on what you can possibly do. Like what we did with Resonate Coffee, we didn’t give up or listen to what others had to say.)

“In-enjoy lang namin ’yung hilig namin,” adds Morada. “Basta nag-e-enjoy ka mapapansin mo na lang na you have a community na and focus on what you’re doing.” 

(We simply enjoy what we love. As long as you are enjoying, eventually you’ll see that you’re building a community and focus on what you’re doing.)

Hopefully, Resonate Coffee’s moment of triumph despite the pandemic will yield a better appreciation for all things slow and special—and resonate with others in slow and steady waves.