Philippines-based food and beverage company Varacco was named one of the 50 Best Small Businesses in the United Nation’s Good Food for All competition. The company has a coffee brand called Circa 1740 that offers their original patented dip coffee products, which is a twist to your average instant coffee.
We like this feisty small startup that has big plans to open 27 more shops, a coffee farm and a research facility. Nobody can accuse them of not thinking big.
The Circa 1740 dip coffee is made from pure coffee sourced from partnering farmer communities in the Philippines. Every product is made of at least 90% coffee and a maximum of 10% milk or spices.
The coffee products create full-bodied coffee blends in a matter of seconds, served in dip pyramid bags using a process the company patented. While the dip bags are made of food-grade nylon which isn’t 100% biodegradable, they are working towards a more sustainable solution.
We wanted to use paper to make it more sustainable but could not, as we discovered that it would affect and decrease the taste of the coffee. So now we are venturing into looking for other types of dip bag materials as we strive to make the dip bag 100% eco-friendly in the future. – co-founder and COO of Varacco Ariestelo Asilo
Varacco was also named as one of the 50 Best Small Businesses in the United Nation’s Good Food for All competition. The winners are chosen by what the business contributes to healthier and more sustainable consumables for their communities.
The company prides itself in Filipino culture and heritage, from sourcing to packaging. Varacco emphasises coffee from Batangas, as the city holds a huge significance in Filipino coffee history — it was where coffee first arrived back in 1740.
On top of sourcing locally, the company works with local communities, particularly the disabled and mothers, to help with their income. Varacco also uses digital technology like the Internet of Things (IoT) to assist with productivity and quality.
Circa 1740 has six different coffee products, available for purchase at their own restaurant, Timplado, other corporate shops, and online, on Shopee, and Lazada. In the future, they hope to get them onto local supermarket shelves.
