Due to Typhoon Tino, countless lives were deeply affected. Many families lost their loved ones, homes, personal belongings, pets, and sources of livelihood. The devastation left communities struggling to recover and rebuild from the aftermath of the typhoon.

In response, our Cebu Team is extending its help to those affected through the support and coordination of the Philippine Red Cross – Lapu-Lapu City. The relief goods collected will be distributed to families in Talisay City, one of the areas severely impacted by the typhoon. During Typhoon Tino, Talisay City experienced intense rainfall and strong winds that caused widespread flooding, damage to homes and infrastructure, and the displacement of many residents. Several communities were forced to evacuate, leaving families in urgent need of food, basic necessities, and support.

At Allegro Cebu, we understand the importance of extending a helping hand to those who need it most. Our team has been actively providing support, whether through essential supplies, guidance, or small gestures that make daily life a little easier. Even the smallest act of kindness can bring hope and comfort to someone navigating uncertainty.

We hope to provide comfort and relief to our fellow Filipinos and stand in solidarity with the people of Talisay City as they begin their journey toward recovery.

If you wish to extend your help, you may reach out to there contact details below:

Location: Osmena Boulevard Cebu City, Cebu City, Philippines

Email: ceburcy@gmail.com

Number: (032) 328 9238

Follow us for more updates!

#AllegroBeverage

#BrewingNewOpportunities

#ExtendingHelpToRedCross 

#TyphoonTino

]]> /2025/12/09/standing-together-supporting-our-community-in-times-of-need/feed/ 1 /2025/02/05/asean-barista-team-competition-2025/ /2025/02/05/asean-barista-team-competition-2025/#respond Wed, 05 Feb 2025 09:35:53 +0000 / Meet the Philippines Team for the ASEAN Barista Team Championship 

Let’s take a moment to reflect on the incredible ASEAN Barista Team Championship held at Enderun Colleges.

The competition was intense, and the Victoria Arduino Eagle Tempo truly shone, delivering outstanding performance and setting new industry benchmarks. With its innovative technology, precise brewing, and elegant design, it became a game-changer, enhancing the experience for both competitors and coffee enthusiasts. Its seamless integration of advanced features allowed competitors to push the limits of their craft, making it a true leader in the field. Over the years, Victoria Arduino has continuously been the trusted #officialespressomachine for the competition.

Together, Nobo Coconut Milk and Oatside Barista Blend enhanced the coffee experience, delivering a fresh, smooth, and perfectly balanced flavor that left a lasting impression on both baristas and coffee enthusiasts.

Team Tablo, the champions from Luzon, and Team Davao’s Finest, the 1st Runner-Up from Mindanao, will proudly represent the Philippines at this year’s ASEAN Barista Team Championship. The competition will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from March 5-7, 2025.

Congratulations to all winners!

For more updates, follow us on our socials @allegrobeverage

#AllegroBeverage #ASEANBaristaTeamChampionship #officialespressomachine #ABTC #Highlight #BrewingNewOpporutnities

Allegro Beverage Corporation just had its 1st Unibeverage Competition this year (2024), featuring 7 participants from different universities. It showcased the talents of each participant, demonstrating their innovation and creativity as shown in their competition entries.

Featuring Allegro at the 1st Unibeverage Competition, along with Allegro’s setup and its judges.

These are the Unibeverage competitors showcasing their amazing entries alongside their creative drinks.

Introducing each drink from our competitors, crafted with passion and creativity!

Congratulations to all our participants!

Congratulations to all of our participants for competing in Allegro’s 1st Unibeverage Competition for “Elevating your craft and conquering the stage”.

Results: 

Champion– Louis Anjello Cheng

Best Beverage– Andrei Jude A. Lorenzo

Best Concept– Liezel Anne S. Nierves

Follow us on @allegrobeverage for events & happenings!
#ABCUNIBEVERAGECOMPETITION2024

#ELEVATEMIXOLOGY

#POWEREDBY1883

#ABC25YEARS

#VICTORIAARDUINO

FASTER, SMARTER, PREDICTABLE

Our new flagship espresso and filter coffee grinder sets a new industry standard. The EK Omnia is the epitome of Mahlkönig’s relentless pursuit of excellence and a new leap forward in coffee-grinding innovation.

Built on the legacy of the iconic EK43, the EK Omnia is Mahlkönig’s new flagship grinder designed for unprecedented consistency and efficiency as it adds the most recent and ground-breaking technology to the iconic EK. EK Omnia is a remarkable addition to the Mahlkönig EK range which now proudly comprises the EK43, EK43 S, and the EK Omnia.

For coffee aficionados who want excellent grinding quality but need a faster workflow and more convenience, the EK Omnia unlocks a new era in coffee grinding.

*EK Omnia recieved the 2024 iF Design Award and UX Design Award | Gold

Meet the EK Omnia

The EK Omnia grinder is equipped with a suite of advancements that make it an indispensable tool for high-demand, high-expectation settings. The new technological innovation of Library Mode allows users to save their favorite grinding recipes, including notes for the bean name and target coffee grams. In combination with the Pre-Dosing Unit (PDU), a volumetric hopper*, EK Omnia automatically adjusts to the exact burr distance in microns and grind time, according to the recipe. The front-facing LED screen is a powerful and easy-to-use interface to set ultra-precise micro-adjustments of the grind size.

Saved grinding recipes seamlessly integrate volumetric dosing with micron-level grind size settings. The grind size, meticulously measured in real-time by micron distance, eliminates any guesswork or reliance on arbitrary dials. When a recipe is selected, the grinder instantly fine-tunes both the burr distance and pre-dosing unit to precisely match the chosen parameters.

Dial in once, repeat easily

Save bean name and target coffee grams as recipes in the Library, then have EK Omnia automatically adjusting grind size and dose.

• Select a recipe and the EK Omnia will auto-adjust to your settings
• Repeatable consistency across hours and shifts
• Grind-by-Time and manual grinding offer total control at your fingertips

Made for high-volume efficiency

With a volumetric pre-dosing hopper unit, magnetic adjustable portafilter holder, and efficient BLDC motor, the EK Omnia prioritizes grinding and workflow efficiency.

Precision superpowers

The EK Omnia ushers in a new era of coffee grinder technology, offering reliable and unparalleled grinding precision dose after dose.

• Grind size measured by real-time micron distance between burrs, not arbitrary dials
• Stepless grind size adjustments made by dial turn, touch screen, or saved recipe
• Industry-leading 98mm steel burrs give baristas uniformity with every dose

An aesthetic for the ages

We celebrate the craft with a sleek design inspired by the iconic EK43, an intuitive touch interface on the main dial, and interchangeable hopper options.

*available as a separate accessory

Jeeves de Veyra

MANILA — Allegro Beverage Corporation celebrates a milestone as part of the global integrated coffee business Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd. (UCC) with the opening of its new headquarters and showroom.

Allegro has been around for 24 years and has been one of the go-to distributors for one-stop beverage solutions, particularly for coffee shops.

“Allegro started out as an expert in the coffee equipment business. It was better to partner with an expert in premium coffee.,” said Allegro Beverage Corp. CEO Yasmin Vasquez.

UCC began its acquisition of Allegro Beverage in 2017 as part of its global direction and strategy to have more integrated partnerships with local coffee equipment distributors. This started with Lucky Coffee Machine in Japan and continued with similar arrangements in Thailand and Australia. This enables UCC and its subsidiaries to approach coffee equipment manufacturers as a unified group to get better deals and support.

Browsing through the new headquarters showroom is like a catalog of everything the company has to offer. The showroom’s centerpiece is the bar where potential customers can try out their consumables — the UCC roasted coffee, syrups, and milk.

Surrounding the center bar are displays with high-end espresso machines that are specced in global coffee competitions from Victoria Arduino and Nuova Simonelli and coffee grinders from German company Mahlkönig are on display.

Those starting off with a budget can try out the more affordable Crem espresso machines from Sweden and Hey Brew grinders which Allegro packages in starter coffee business packages with consumables.

Bean-to-cup machines Franke and Kalerm commonly used in hotels round out what can be found in the showroom.

At the back is the service center where technicians are trained to maintain all the machines in its catalog.

According to Hubert Young, president and chief executive officer of UCC Philippines, the addition of Allegro Beverage to the renowned UCC Group complements their business as they operate across the entire coffee value chain — from farm to cup.

“At UCC, we strive to create better lives for all through coffee,” said Young.

He emphasized that the UCC Group is committed to driving positive change in the coffee industry, and this acquisition aligns with its vision to promote sustainable practices and support coffee communities worldwide.

He further stated that UCC is dedicated to transitioning to 100% sustainably sourced coffee for all UCC brands by 2030.

Currently, Allegro Beverage has branches in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, and Pampanga, with dealers in Bohol, Cavite, Laguna, Pangasinan, Quezon Province, and Iloilo, with Palawan and Albay opening soon.

The new Allegro headquarters and showroom is located at 7 Sheridan St, Mandaluyong and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

]]> /2023/09/28/ucc-owned-allegro-beverage-corp-opens-new-hq-showroom/feed/ 0 /2023/09/27/hello-world-4/ /2023/09/27/hello-world-4/#comments Wed, 27 Sep 2023 20:15:20 +0000 /

Introducing the Black Eagle Maverick, our intelligent, sustainable and user-friendly coffee machine to date. Here we will take you through our journey, what inspired the Maverick concept and how we brought our creation to life. We’ll take you through the key stages of the machine’s development, from the inside to the outside, before touching on some conversations with the baristas, those mavericks that have turned the humble cup of coffee into something beyond a form of art.
From the beginning, it was our aim to make the invisible, visible. We took our cue from the achievements of the great and the good of the past when the maverick, a person who quite literally refuses to follow the customs or rules of a group, discovered a moment of genius through key technological innovations of the 20th Century.

Apply the same logic to the barista and the noble coffee machine, when a collision of creative forces and bespoke technology can result in one, perfect, cup of coffee. But as we all know, there is an ocean of disparity between an ordinary cup of coffee, and one that has the ability to fundamentally alter the dynamic of our day: it means so much to millions of us on a daily basis, whether it’s the first wake-up shot in the morning or the post-dinner digestif in the evening.

The first Black Eagle is done so much to address this, it’s already a much-treasured coffee machine by baristas all over the globe, so how can we improve on that The team went beyond a zone of pre-existing ideas, further than the space that exists between the barista and technology, to a twilight plane of potential, a place where inspiration can be facilitated to create something profoundly unique. We knew we had to give the barista, the maverick, more.

Not just a bit more control, but complete domination over the temperature, the brew, the steam, even the opportunity to shift instantly between genres of coffee. So, we gave them brand-new sustainable technology, a system to revolutionise the way they make a cup of coffee. We gave them the Maverick, and took it from there.
The Black Eagle Maverick is the next step in our history of innovation and design. It introduces important improvements in terms of performance, precision and sustainability. Just like T3 Genius, the evolution of T3 technology that offers the same precision and control by using
37% less energy. This important result was obtained by reducing the volume of the stainless-steel boilers, by optimising the weight of the group, by increasing its reactivity and precision, by improving the electronics and by channelling surplus energy to preheat incoming water.
In the Black Eagle Maverick, the boilers are made of stainless steel and have a reduced volume (from 14 to 8 litres) and they can maintain a high pressure (2.1 bar) and thus release high quality dry steam. Also, the advanced Steam by Wire system guarantees the same quality in terms of delivery of dry steam, adding three controls to purge and divide the steam between jugs of different capacities. The Black Eagle Maverick also optimises the shape and weight of the group by 23% to enable faster heating speed and better precision and reactivity. The new electronics can even more accurately control the heating elements. Additionally, two solutions have been added that use the surplus energy from the motor (Motor Cooling System) as well as from the dispenser (T.E.R.S. – Thermal Energy Recovery System) to preheat the incoming water.

With the Black Eagle Maverick, Victoria Arduino introduces Pure Brew Technology, a revolutionary method of espresso extraction and of a low-pressure coffee extraction. We matched the Pure Brew technology to a new Victoria Arduino patent: a portafilter with a conical double-mesh filter that can create PureBrew, a totally new filtered coffee extraction more syrupy and full-bodied. The brilliance of this new technology also lies in its extreme simplicity of use: just set the roasting level of your coffee (light, medium or dark) to get a fantastic new coffee experience. Those who want to try their more “Maverick” attitude, can create their own recipe. What’s more, the simple and intuitive user interface makes everything faster and more reactive. The barista can pass from espresso to Pure Brew mode by selecting the icon in the home page of the main display.

The Black Eagle Maverick is available in 2 different versions: volumetric and gravimetric, both of which are equipped with all the above-mentioned technology.
Another important improvement has been brought to the user experience and the design of Black Eagle Maverick. The new software and display of the group allow the user to visualise all the information relating to the extraction and the preparation of the drink. By means of the main display, the barista can quickly change between types of extraction, create new recipes, modify the settings and browse through all the functions of the Black Eagle Maverick.

Minimal, contemporary and solid design. To create the lines and shapes of the Black Eagle Maverick, Victoria Arduino was not only inspired by its history, but it focused on the needs of champion baristas, roasters, chains and specialty coffee shops that require machines that are exciting, high-performance and sustainable. An even lower profile design, to favour customer relations, along with captivating aesthetic elements, such as the stainless-steel rail that echoes the brand logo and new more solid feet with more contemporary lines. The rear and side panels are smooth to allow for customization. The grid has a different composition with strong aesthetics and function, simplifying operation of the machine.

For the Black Eagle launch we asked the collaboration of some Mavericks that saw in preview the machine and told us their story in coffee.
Apart from an authentic passion for coffee, all of our Mavericks honed their barista skills from competition: pitting their wit and guile against some seriously talented competitors and making the grade. But it’s so much more than that, applying your skills in a coffee shop is one thing, standing up and being counted by your peers, and winning, is something to be immensely proud of. And we’re immensely proud of them too.

There is something else at work here also. Coffee is so much more than the sum of its parts, it’s no longer something we spoon into a mug in the morning it’s an integral part of our lives. However, for our Maverick’s coffee is an inspiration, in each and every instance, coffee has quite literally changed their lives.
Simon Sun is the 2019 China Barista Champion. Simon hails from Suzhou, a city west of Shanghai in China, and used to work as a fashion magazine editor. When his friends opened a bookstore in his hometown, he took over the running of the small coffee section in the corner and the rest, as they say, is history. Completely self-taught, Simon didn’t even now there was such a thing as the world barista championships until he happened across it one afternoon on the internet. At the moment everything changed, in addition to becoming a China champion, Simon now has a career in coffee, he works with directly with coffee bean farmers, but his true calling is imparting his ardour for all things coffeerelated through teaching and education. On a more practical level, Simon is obsessed with a coffee machine being able to hold a very stable temperature to allow a different extraction profile for each coffee bean. For Simon, the T3 Genius Technology has taken the brewing process to completely new levels and challenging the status quo as we know it.

Mikael Jasin, 2019-2020 Indonesia Barista Champion, was born in Indonesia and moved to Australia as a teenager to study, it was here, working in a coffee shop in Melbourne, that his barista journey began. Goodbye studies, hello new adventure, Mikael began competing, challenging himself something he enjoys outside of his life in front of a coffee machine- and
more pertinently, winning. He started a, coffee consulting company but also works directly with coffee bean farmers and processes his own beans, so for him extraction is a key aspect of his craft, but there is something else we discovered when we talked to him too. Ninety percent of his customers don’t drink espresso. In Indonesia the most famous drink is iced coffee -coffee, milk, sugar, light, brown sugar, and ice cube- and as for Mikael himself, he drinks more filter coffee than espresso. For Mikael the addition of the Pure Brew is an industry gamechanger, especially as it’s a different genres of filter coffee.

When she was 18, Natalia Kwiatowska, 2020 Polish Barista Champion, travelled to the southern part of Ireland, her intention to return to home to Poland and study drama didn’t happen as planned. Instead, she ended up staying for nine years where, after a stint as working as waitress, got behind the machine and began entering barista competitions. Back at home, Natalia has her own coffee shop and is developing her business to roast beans that she’s purchased from direct contact from growers For her, the Black Eagle Maverick has one clear cut advantage, it’s versatility will attract more customers, yes, it’s fast and consistent thanks to T3 Genius technology but what really excited Natalia was the opportunity to get creative again with the Pure Brew feature. Interestingly, she had initial reservations about the new design, the lower profile now allows for greater interaction between the barista and the customer, but readily agreed it feels more accessible, even challenging accepted ideas of how to utilise the physical space in a coffee shop.

After college, Lem Butler, 2016 US Barista Champion, was working as a musician in North Carolina, he got signed by a major label but walked away when he lost creative control over what he did. To support himself he took a job as a barista where he got roped into helping out a colleague in the world barista competition, the performance aspect of the championship spoke to his inner musician and he instantly knew that this was something he wanted to be a part of. After winning the WBC, Lem started training baristas, but his focus is letting the coffee speak for itself and putting greater onus on the famers producing the bean. In this respect, having the right equipment is paramount, obviously more control over the bean from machine to cup, but Lem is also impressed by the Black Eagle’s sustainability credentials too. He freely acknowledges that the energy wasted in a cafe is sizable and the fact that having control over the heat in the knowledge that the same heat will be recycled is crucial.