Calling all caffeine and travel lovers!
We bet you are now dying for a road trip. Months spent at home and staying safe have been pretty chill and comforting, but humans, especially us Filipinos, are social beings. So seeing new sites and meeting new people are a must. And for travelers going to Laguna, you might want to have a stopover on this sleek café for a brewed cup on the road.
Inspired by the minimalist aesthetic of Japanese coffee shops, Muni Coffee is a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop located along the National Highway of Brgy. Longos, Kalayaan, Laguna. Led by Julius Ezekiel Lacaba and his partner Isabella Macawili Ragaza, Muni Coffee serves affordable caffeine fix to all weary bikers and travelers
"During the pandemic, we have observed that many bikers and riders were passing by our house, and some made stopovers for their refreshments and all," Isabella tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. "Since our house is strategically placed and accessible for road passers, we decided to put a hole in the wall on one of our fence walls. We turned almost 5sqm—corner into a coffee shop station."
The couple has been brainstorming about what business to pursue in the past months. Thanks to their love for brewed drinks, setting up a coffee shop is the best and natural business step for them to take. Building the café started last October, and this month they officially launched it.
"It became a dream of Julius and mine to have one before, but not that much since it was not our only choice of business. We have thought of three others more, but we ended up pursuing this because it brought so many interests and excitement," Isabella says. "Since our families appreciate and love coffee even before, we thought it could be one of the many things that we would have in common and reasons to spend more time together."
Hailed from the Filipino term "muni" which means "to ponder," the cafè features a variety of brewed mixes, from special tea to lattes, and even the trendy kori kohi, with prices ranging from P45 to P75. They also offer sandwiches to match your ordered drink.
"We firmly believe that whenever people are having coffee, they tend to muni-muni more during those moments—may it be alone or with their friends," the proprietor says. "Muni Coffee products will continue to be affordable without compromising their quality. More so, we would maintain and continually improve our products and services as time goes by. We will always be here to offer them a minimalist and comforting environment."
Images are from @municoffee.ph