"A blend of brew and books"
Sun.Star Davao, May 10, 2008

Kangaroo Coffee Company. The name of one of the latest coffee shops to open in Davao excited me. “This must be a foreign franchise”, I thought.

However, upon visiting the place, I pleasantly discovered that the coffee shop is proudly homegrown.

“It all started out as a joke made by one of the owners about setting up a competing coffee shop right in front of a similar sounding coffee shop”, shares Mark Seng, Kangaroo Coffee Company’s Marketing Manager.

“For that particular person's birthday that year, we actually set up an "al fresco" coffee bar in a vacant parking lot to surprise him. We borrowed a small espresso machine and everything had to be done manually, but we managed to do the basic cappuccinos and lattes for that event”, Mark fondly recalls.

Afterwards, Mark’s group began getting bookings for events in their church and friends’ houses where they used the "Kangaroo" name.

By then, the name already stuck and later when they were deciding what to call their coffee shop, "Kangaroo" was the most reasonable alternative because it already had so much brand recall.

Passion for coffee

Mark says that he and his business partners opened Kangaroo because of their passion for good coffee, food, and conversation. For them, Kangaroo is an ideal venue to share their passion with others.

“All the partners contributed to the operations of Kangaroo. One of us has worked for an international coffee chain before. Another one has extensive experience in cooking and baking. Most of the other owners are also entrepreneurs themselves with their own businesses, and so they also bring their business acumen to the table”, reveals the U.K.-educated Mark.

Mark recommends the White Chocolate Mocha (Espresso, steamed milk, and white chocolate topped with whipped cream, P85), Tsokolatte (Espresso with steamed fresh milk and native chocolate, P87) and Mangoes n’ Cream (Philippine mango syrup in a sweet and creamy Kanga ice-blended delight, P90).

Kangaroo likewise encourages customers to "Customize Your Drink" where they can add espresso, flavors, whipped cream, and other garnishes to their regular drinks for a minimal cost. They have low-fat and decaf options, too.

“The vision of our coffee shop is to “Use Coffee to Inspire People”. We aim to inspire them with our place, our products, and our people, so that they get a meaningful experience every time they come to our shop. We are also actively promoting Mindanao Fair Trade Coffee, which means that our coffee is bought at a sustainable price from local farmers”, points out Mark.

Kid-friendly delights

It is not unusual to see children sitting alongside their parents at Kangaroo.

The coffee shop has kid-friendly Kanga Steamers such as Hot Choco Classic (P76), Native Hot Choco (P65) and Steamed Milk (P66) which one can try with their favorite flavored syrup.

Other Kanga Ice-Blended options are flavored, milky and caffeine-free drinks like Milk Vanilla (P77), Milk Caramel (P82) and Milk Chocolate (P84).

Moreover, Kangaroo’s drinks are on the big size (12 and 16 oz.) so if parents want to share their kids’ drink, just request for an extra cup.

Children are guaranteed to love the Belgian Chocolate Mousse (P90) Chips ‘n Dips (P90), Tuna Sandwich (P70), BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato) Sandwich (P85), Choco Walnut Bar (P70), Cappuccino Bar (P60) and Revel Bar (P60). Kangaroo likewise has a Menu of the Day for Pasta and Drinks of the Month.

In addition, little ones will surely be fascinated with the “appearance latte art”. Mark shares that this is a sign that the drink has been done properly.

The most common designs are heart and rosette. But, Mark adds that the designs are actually only limited to the barista’s imagination. I was quite delighted with the creative barista’s Casper (The Friendly Ghost) and fish interpretations.

A blend of brew and books

“Our lighting is brighter than most coffee shops because we have an in-house library for our customers who want to read our selection of books, magazines and newspapers, although we can dim the lights upon the customer’s request. We also have free wi-fi internet access”, announces Mark.

“The interiors were conceptualized with privacy in mind. The furniture is inspired by neo-classical design, the centerpiece being our wingback chairs”, continues Mark whose family is in the home furnishings business.

As a welcome bonus, OMF Literature Bookshop is just beside the coffee shop.

Mark tells that OMF is the “country's largest publisher of Christian books which offers a wealth of resources for practical living, church and ministry references, family and relationship helps, devotionals, children's stories, and many others”.

OMF Literature has recently marked its 50th year of “Publishing Truth, Shaping Generations”, and is widely known for publishing bestsellers such as “The Purpose Driven Life”, “This is My Story”, and “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”. It has bookshop branches in Cebu and Metro Manila.

Together, Kangaroo Coffee Company and OMF Literature Bookshop provide a warm and inviting atmosphere for Dabawenyo coffee and book lovers to slow down and stay a while.

Truly, a perfect blend of brew and books!

Special thanks to my brother Jasper Huang for the photos you see on this page.

Kangaroo Coffee Company and OMF Literature Bookshop officially opens today, May 10, 2008. Both are located at Ground Floor Mitaji Bldg., Tionko cor. V. Mapa Sts., Davao City. Kangaroo Coffee Co. tel. no. 222-2ROO or 222-2766. OMF Literature Bookshop tel. no. 221-3416.

E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. Visit www.mom-about-town.blogspot.com.

"2008 World Water Day Int’l. Poster Making Tilt"
Sun.Star Davao, May 3, 2008

Last week, I received this wonderful news from Sammy Juntilla, the father of 10-year old Dave Laurence whom I featured recently in the “1st Ateneo Kiddie Art Exhibit”.

Here is an excerpt of Sammy’s e-mail:

“Good Day! I have read your article about the Kiddie Art Exhibit in Ateneo de Davao Grade School on April 12. Well, thanks to the latest technologies of today, even if I’m in Qatar, I was able to read your article through Sun.Star online.

I’m writing to you because my son, Dave Laurence, participated in the 2008 World Water Day International Poster Making Contest.

This was organized by a non-profit organization called Nature’s Voice Our Choice (NVOC) based in the United States. NVOC focuses on the preservation, conservation and restoration of water resources.

Dave happened to be one of the 2 winners in his age category. Out of 800 students, 13 winners were selected. Two of them are from the Philippines.

According to the organizers, Dave’s poster is an extraordinary representation of what water means in our lives.

Aside from Dave, the other Filipino winner is 10-year old Veronica Gayle Tiu Tangcueco from Binondo, Manila”.

In a press statement sent by NVOC, it bared that winning posters were selected by a panel of four judges specializing in children’s environmental education, anthropology, and international development. The entries were judged on visual message, impact, and creativity.

The chosen posters, which were on display at the Earth Day Festival last April 20, 2008 at the National Mall in Washington DC, USA, will be used in a worldwide water conservation campaign.

All funds generated from this campaign will be used to develop water preservation, conservation and restoration projects in each of the winners’ communities.

“The level of creativity, passion, and energy that students brought to this competition was incredible,” shares NVOC director Brandy Lellou.

“They exceeded our expectations. After we began to see the impact these posters could have on increasing public awareness of water issues, we added a unique ‘action phase’ to the project”, Lellou adds.

Lellou said that the ‘action phase’ is designed to empower students by giving them the opportunity to apply their ideas to the development of concrete solutions to the water resource problems facing their communities.

NVOC acknowledges that “every community in the world suffers from water resource related issues; and today’s students hold the solutions. By fostering their interest, encouraging creative thinking, and empowering them to act; students can achieve tangible results and become agents of change in their communities”.

NVOC will work closely with each of the winning students to create a committee of the students’ peers and mentors that will identify a water resource related problem within the community.

With technical and financial support from NVOC, they will develop and implement a sustainable solution.

“We would like to thank all the students who put such creative energy into expressing what water means in their lives. We believe that these posters will make an impact on their viewers and inspire them become more proactive in the preservation and conservation of their community’s water resources”, concludes Lellou.

***

And, here’s more good news from Dave’s mom, Dinky!

Dave was also one of the Commendation Prize Winners of the recently concluded 17th International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment with the theme “Climate Change: Actions You Can Take Now”.

In its website, www.roap.unep.org, it stated that the prestigious competition invited “children aged 6-14 to express through painting actions they can take to reduce the impact of climate change such as using renewable energy, introducing energy saving light bulbs at home, sharing vehicles and using public transport, planting trees etc.”.

Jointly organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon, this annual painting competition has been held since 1990 and has so far received over 200,000 entries from children in over 100 countries.

According to its website, “the International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment is part of UNEP's TUNZA strategy for children and youth. TUNZA is a word in Kiswahili that means to “treat with care”. The program aims to provide young people with information and tools on how to “treat Mother Earth with care” and how to act for a better world”.

Congratulations to Dave for his amazing achievements! The people of Davao are very proud of you.

E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. Visit www.mom-about-town.blogspot.com.

"SonTreasure Island"
Sun.Star Davao, April 26, 2008

“On this warm Caribbean island, there is treasure to be found. More precious than gold, more lasting than diamonds, it's the greatest treasure of all—God's love”.

The Davao Evangelical Church (DEC) recently held another successful Daily Vacation Bible School (DVBS) with the theme “SonTreasure Island” for almost 500 kids aged 4-12 years old.

Every summer, the DVBS is one of the most anticipated activities for children from various schools in the city with diverse religious backgrounds.

Past DVBS themes include “Treasures of the Nile” (2004); “Power Up” (2005); “Construction Zone” (2006); and “Kingdom of the Son-A Prayer Safari (2007).

These enjoyable and artistic courses have been taken from Gospel Light, a Christian publishing house in the U.S. which produces Christian literature like Sunday School and DVBS.

Majority of the volunteer teachers were church members who willingly gave their time and talents serving the Lord. They came from different backgrounds and professions such as bankers, teachers, doctors, housewives, businessmen, college and high school students, among others.

For five fun days, little treasure seekers learned how Jesus' life illustrated God's love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Lively songs, imaginative craft activities, exhilarating games and Bible stories all carried the vibrant Caribbean theme.

Through their thrilling Caribbean adventures, children discovered that ‘God’s Love is Giving’, ‘God’s Love is Kind’, ‘God’s Love is Caring’, God’s Love is Forgiving’, and ‘God’s Love is Forever’.

The DEC will continue its “SonTreasure Island” theme during Sunday school activities from 8:30-9:30 a.m. until May 25, 2008. All kids are welcome to attend.

For more information, please contact DEC’s Ms. Evelyn Cang or Mr. Aris Blas at tel. nos. 2213115 and 2276421.

I am sharing to you pictures of the well-attended event taken by Imagine Fotofun Digital Express.

E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. Visit www.mom-about-town.blogspot.com.