The Best Café in BGC: How Caravan Black Remains Steadfast in the Bustling Manila Coffee Scene
I was a 22-year old fresh graduate when I first encountered Caravan Black.
High ceiling, dark moss-green interiors, a few focal paintings here and there.
Half-asleep, my eyes instantly gravitated towards a specialty coffee item: Cooper.
Double ristretto, iced-shaken almond syrup, milk.
“Fancy”, I told myself.
At that time, coffee was not yet in my language and I had no idea about the complexities that could come in a cup. All I knew was that I was in dire need of a potion to wake me up and face another battle.
The battle, that is, the advertising life.
And you can guess: not only did this Cooper wake me up, it put a smile on my face.
(Cheesy, I know.)
Fast forward to present day, eight years since I had my first sip in Caravan Black.
A lot of things have changed; my job, my coffee obsession, my character development.
Funnily enough, it had to be a vlog by Youtuber Jessica Lee to serve as the icebreaker between myself and Caravan Black owner and founder, Miguel Rodriguez.
And so we conversed.
The beginnings of Caravan Black
A trip to Australia in 2012 was all it took for Miguel and his now-wife, Chicho, to be completely swept by the charms of the specialty coffee scene. The onset of the coffee wave was still in San Francisco, and there was not much awareness to it yet.
They knew they had to bring home the same joy and positivity they experienced after what felt more than just coffee.
As soon as they got back to Manila, they moved fast.
They did their research, underwent training and development, and along the way discovered Yardstick, one of the pioneers of the third wave coffee movement in Manila, whose owners eventually became their mentors-turned-friends.
At that time, Bonifacio Global City was still on its way as a commercial city. Seven NEO, then Net Park, was one of the bigger office buildings located on 5th Avenue.
Miguel knew it had to be the spot for Caravan Black. Situated smack in the center of a promising city surrounded by towering companies — the perfect captive market for caffeine-dependent corporates (myself included).
With one arm equipped with the proper training to run a café and the other with the vision to serve and spread great coffee; there was just one thing needed to make the dream a reality: win the pitch.
Left: Owner and founder Miguel Rodriguez | Right: The logo designed by Chicho Rodriguez, with silhouettes of people seen in the letter “A”s, a homage to what makes the café: its people.
An Evergreen Vision Heard and Felt
By the end of 2015, Miguel and his team had to pitch to the board members of Seven NEO (then Net Park).
Miguel recalled another coffee player was also in the running for the spot but ultimately what won them over was their vision. When asked what Caravan Black brought to the table, Miguel bashfully shared it was simply being genuine, modest, and sincere.
“I think they saw the sincerity of what we were trying to do. It was bigger than coffee. The whole vision of positivity was already there. A lot of people have that in mind — service, positivity — but I don’t know who would really say it.”, Miguel shared.
Left: Lavender Oat Latte | Right: Asian Stir-Fry (Not pictured are my personal go-tos: Orange Chicken Grain Bowl, Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake, and counter-side cookies)
The Caravan Black Experience
With the café open as early as 7AM, a typical scene in Caravan Black looks like a mix of half-asleep office folks in line to get their caffeine fix, millennials crunching to hit their work deadlines, and those who simply want to grab a quick lunch. Weekends paint a different picture: of families, pets, and a slower pace.
“We set up the place so that when you go inside it doesn’t feel like a restaurant. That's why you order at the bar, while some people are standing up. We try to do that vibe. It’s very much into the café culture — it’s not a restaurant, it’s not a diner, it’s a cafe.”, he said.
Halfway through talking to Miguel it dawned to me how the journey in the industry of food and beverage, truly, is a balancing act. It’s easy to fall prey to one’s preference (enter coffee snobs), especially when you’re passionate about what you do and what you offer.
Miguel shared a mentor’s advice that he’s thoroughly applied ever since: accept and serve what the customers want.
“There is no optimal audience as to who you call your people. If someone would come in and say they want five packets of sugar in their coffee, we give them five packets of sugar. We have never judged anybody since day one”, he expressed.
As an F&B entrepreneur, he added that you have to be thankful that customers are walking in your place, which calls for an establishment’s responsibility to serve them what they want — whatever it may be.
Keeping Steadfast Amidst The Competitive Coffee Scene
As Caravan Black celebrated its 8th year last May 1, 2024, I had to pry on their superpower that’s kept them resilient amidst all the coffee competition popping up literally just meters apart.
Being in the grueling industry of food and beverage, Miguel emphasized that entrepreneurs have to come in for the right reasons to last and endure. Having a vision is one thing but the harder part will always come after, and that’s when the deeper purpose that goes beyond the product has to come through.
I glanced upon the time and realized an hour has already passed with what was meant to be a quick introduction.
And frankly, I wasn’t complaining.
By this time, I may have figured out a unique trait that has kept Caravan Black not just afloat but thriving. Miguel has embodied one thing: the art of complete, zone-out focus. He remains steadfast with his passion and his goals, and everything else simply follows — hardwork, luck included. Maybe even call it ultimate human blinders.
“You cannot look at other people — you’ll get stressed out and distracted. Things are moving so fast that you just have to take care of your own people, play your own game. It will never end — you can’t let people’s competition in.”, he said.
He shared a mindset shift that helped him manage and carry on the business, with reference to none other than Simon Sinek’s The Infinite Game.
“The name of the game is to be in the game — as long as you can. That’s the game. There’s no competition with anyone. You’re just competing with yourself and how long you can last. Move at your own pace”, he shared.
What’s Next for Caravan Black?
With the café scene in the metro getting more innovative with handcrafted drinks and artisan creations, Miguel believes Filipinos will only get more creative with what they can offer to the market.
Different shops showcase different personalities and creative concepts, all contributing to the total growth of coffee as an industry and obviously, the increasing number of coffee lovers.
It’s only fitting to ask any entrepreneur what’s next for the business but I could already tell that the growth of Caravan Black was never a question Miguel felt responsible to answer.
But of course, I still had to.
“Where is the future of Caravan Black headed?”
Cheekily and truthfully, Miguel answered:
“The future of Caravan Black is where the customer takes us.”
