Pacquiao, an eight-division world boxing champion, is venturing into a coffee business in Cebu, investing an initial P200 million in a facility that will not only boost tourism but also elevate the Philippine coffee industry and the local farmers.
The MP Coffee Company is Pacquiao's first major business project in Cebu. The venture aims to establish a fully integrated Filipino coffee lifestyle ecosystem that links farmers, entrepreneurs, consumers, and visitors.
It will combine specialty coffee, travel retail, roastery operations, merchandise, tourism, and digital commerce under one brand and destination.
At the heart of the project is the upcoming 750-square-meter MP Coffee Flagship Store at City di Mare in the South Road Properties, one of Cebu City’s busiest business districts and lifestyle destinations.
Intended to become a tourist destination, the flagship store will feature a specialty coffee bar, restaurant, industrial roastery, coffee academy, merchandise shop, and an interactive exhibit.
The exhibit will showcase the life and career of Pacquiao, the only boxer to win major world titles in eight different weight classes who later served as a senator from 2016 to 2022.
Plans also include the rollout of “Manny Punch” retail kiosks in airports, ferry terminals, and other high-traffic locations nationwide. The kiosks will offer coffee products, capsules, drip bags, on-the-go cold brew, branded merchandise, and collectible items.
Groundbreaking
MP Coffee Company broke ground on May 31, with Pacquiao and local officials attending the ceremony. Among those present were Cebu City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Ako Bisaya Party-list Rep. Sonny Lagon.
In an interview with reporters, Pacquiao said Cebu was chosen for its strategic location and strong tourism appeal, making it an ideal base for developing a homegrown coffee brand that could compete in international markets.
He said the company intends to work directly with coffee-growing communities and help identify heirloom and specialty coffee varieties that could command higher value in local and export markets.
“The Philippines used to be a leading coffee producer. We want to help farmers gain greater visibility and improve livelihoods,” he said.
Great potential
Beyond coffee production, the company is positioning itself as a lifestyle and tourism brand.
Pacquiao’s new business venture comes at a time when the country’s coffee industry is showing strong growth potential, driven by rising local demand.
The Philippines produced about 30,000 metric tons of green coffee beans in 2023, a slight increase from the previous year, but domestic output remains insufficient to meet local demand.
The Philippine Coffee Board estimates annual coffee consumption at between 150,000 and 200,000 metric tons, forcing the country to rely heavily on imports.
Government data showed coffee production reached 13,006 metric tons in the first quarter of 2025, up 10.7 percent from a year earlier, signaling renewed momentum in the sector.
Despite growing consumer demand and a thriving café culture, the Philippines currently supplies only about 38 percent of its coffee requirements, highlighting the need for greater investment in production, productivity and farmer support.
Proudly Filipino
The MP Coffee Company aims to build a globally recognized Filipino coffee brand, helping restore the Philippines' place as one of the world’s leading coffee producers.
It plans to source beans directly from local farming communities to strengthen the domestic coffee value chain.
This initiative leverages the Philippines' unique position as one of the few countries capable of producing all four commercially viable coffee varieties—Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa—positioning the nation to excel in the global specialty coffee market.
The MP Coffee Company does not intend to compete with existing coffee shops and other businesses. Instead, it aims to complement them by creating its own ecosystem.
The ecosystem will include specialty coffee products and signature blends, roastery and coffee production operations, travel retail kiosks and shelf concepts, coffee education and academy programs and wholesale and resale opportunities.
It wants to create “experiential tourism and lifestyle spaces” where people don’t just buy coffee but would want to experience how artisanal coffee using heirloom beans is made– from processing, roasting to packaging. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
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