Where to Coffee: New App Aims to Unify Philippine Coffee Industry

 

MANILA — What began as a simple digital loyalty card for a local café has evolved into a first-of-its-kind digital hub for the Philippine coffee industry.

Dandy Alberto, a cybersecurity engineer and owner of Mahiwaga Café, launched Where to Coffee this year after realizing the country’s booming coffee culture lacked a centralized tech platform.

While the Philippines boasts world-class beans and a thriving café scene, Alberto found the ecosystem fragmented across various social media and map applications.

"The Philippine coffee scene is amazing, but it is difficult to find it all in different apps," Alberto said. "Where to Coffee is my attempt to build what should exist—one home for anything coffee."

The platform, which transitioned from ideation in August 2025 to beta testing in January, connects every link in the value chain. It allows café owners to manage reward systems, roasters to showcase local beans, and event organizers to list gatherings. For enthusiasts, the app features "coffee journaling" to help others discover local cafés.

The journey hasn't been easy for the three-person team. Alberto self-funded the project, facing skepticism from potential partners and the hurdle of building an industry network from scratch.

"Most people did not believe in it," Alberto said. "I have no big network to rely on, but I continue."

The app’s core philosophy is built on traceability, offering users a "farm-to-cup" look at their brew. Alberto envisions the platform becoming a staple for the industry, eliminating the need for multiple apps to track trends or source beans.

"The app itself is a centralized platform for anything coffee," Alberto said. "It could help our coffee be seen and valued."

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