![CORDIAL: Lima's wine bar, cafe and library](http://images.ctfassets.net/8otutru2e44g/1FIST5in4DTL4UXZZChbVT/7537a55cffdfbfb37d3fc4cace8a3614/Cordial_1x1_Homepage.jpg?w=1600&h=1600&fl=progressive&q=80&fm=jpg)
El Union Coffee co-founder Kiddo Cosio says his initial goal was to ‘serve a few great coffees to a sleepy neighborhood, while funding a simple life at the beach’. But since the business opened, San Juan has gone from sleepy surf town to booming tourist destination.
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‘We source most of our coffees from northern Philippine specialty coffee farmers and producers, with whom we trade directly, without the assistance of middlemen. We pride ourselves [on] our transparent and direct trade with coffee-farming communities,’ says Kiddo.
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Aside from the cafe, El Union Coffee has a cocktail bar called The Shrine of Satisfaction and a recently added small roastery, from where its single-origin coffee beans are sent around the Philippines. The team are also working towards setting up their own farm in the future.
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‘Our company is out to positively impact how Filipinos eat, drink and live, no matter how long that takes. I love our team, including our alumni, some of whom are now coffee entrepreneurs on their own,’ says Kiddo.
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This article was first published in 100 Ways to Make a Living 2022. To purchase a copy or become a subscriber, head to our webshop.