Breville names a Filipino barista champion as their brand ambassador

Even though the Philippines is located in the “Bean Belt,” an equatorial region made up of the world’s largest coffee-growing nations, it is still lagging behind the rise of a revolutionary movement that is redefining the Filipino people’s relationship to a cup of coffee.

However, there is still time for this country to solidly establish its own coffee culture, in which the vast majority of people, if not all of them, have a general understanding and appreciation of this beloved beverage in addition to their strong familiarity with, exposure to, and use of the available technologies in the market to make a cup of coffee.

With this in mind, IAJ Wellness Corporation (IAJWC), the exclusive distributor of Breville in the Philippines, has officially signed up multi-awarded barista and famed content creator Vanessa Maclang Caceres as the country’s ambassadress of the leading small kitchen appliances brand from Australia.

Impressed by the rich and mature coffee culture of various countries, IAJWC President Cris Llamo dreams of replicating such trends locally, where Filipinos do not merely drink coffee but dive deep into the art and appreciation of its unique flavors and origins.

“Hence, our partnership is aimed at raising more awareness on coffee culture and appreciation in the country,” she said during their contract signing held recently in Makati City.

“We want to be in the forefront of educating the people about Third Wave Coffee. That’s why we really want Vanessa to become our ambassadress because her vast knowledge of the industry will be of big help to elevate the peoples’ understanding of specialty coffee,” added Elijah Marie Cortez-Flores, Food & Beverage (F&B) Business Unit Manager at Breville Philippines.

Being an ambassadress, Ms. V (her online monicker) or Mamita (as fondly called by her colleagues) will mainly help promote the brand’s coffee category, plus other kitchen appliances through her social media contents. With her new role, she will also work closely with the brand in equipping the frontliners, which include promo merchandisers, with the most up-to-date knowledge about specialty coffee in order for them to effectively sell Breville products to customers.

“Transfer of knowledge should not go wrong. We want to make sure that our people who interact with the customers are saying the right things about coffee and how best to enjoy it using Breville products. So it’s important to have somebody like Ms. Vanessa, who’s been in the industry for a long time—19 years to be exact. There’s a wealth of information and experience that we can learn from her,” Llamo said.

“Through her hands-on training, we also believe that we will be able to foster a deeper appreciation for Breville products, especially the espresso machine category,” Flores added.

Elated by their confidence, Caceres is very thankful of their partnership. She quipped: “I’m happy that they trust me with this partnership. I’m really grateful to train their frontliners and share my knowledge on Third Wave Coffee to other people.”

Breville Philippines started to tap her in March 2023 for Women’s Month using the Breville Bambino Plus. Little did she know that her first encounter with this small espresso machine would make her a firm believer and, eventually, ambassadress of the brand. She said: “It’s not like other similar products, wherein everyone can pull a shot of espresso. No one can do steamed milk that is much better than Breville.”

Caceres adores the company because of its vast assortment of inventive goods that not only solve the difficulties involved in brewing coffee, but also handle issues related to the entire kitchen. Their functionalities and designs complement one another, meeting the needs of every customer.

Despite Breville’s premium brand positioning, the endless possibilities it offers purchasers make it well worth the expense. It seems sense that Vanessa now always has it in the kitchen.

“It’s really a part of my daily life. Once you have it in your kitchen, you cannot stop using it. That’s why you really get your money’s worth,” she stressed.