Teofilo has officially opened its first Long Beach shop, shortly after opening in Carson and shuttering its flagship Los Alamitos location last year after five years of serving the community. And yes, there are the clear marks that the space is a Filipino-owned shop that also happens to use and roast beans it procures from the islands of the Philippines: a babingka latte here. A wrapped pastry from Gemmae there. Calamansi tea tinged with espresso. Beans that, even for more adept coffee aficionados, are unheard of—especially when you see a bag of Liberica beans, commonly known as Barako in the Philippines.
For owner and roaster Ron Dizon, yes, there is pride in the shops themselves. However, they are but a minuscule reflection of his larger goal since diving into the floral, fruity, forgotten world of Filipino coffee.
On one hand, a service. A service to the coffee world: This is nothing short of spectacular coffee—and one that is widely dismissed in a world dominated by African, Arab, and Latin American-grown beans. And a service to the Filipino diaspora, be they the elders who came to the States long ago and haven’t been home, or the countless Filipino-Americans who walk the line between cultures.
On the other hand, Ron’s work is for the motherland itself: Lifting up farmers, their product, and creating spaces that will make their work less arduous, more connected, and more recognized.
The absence of Filipino coffee in the larger cultural conversation drives Teofilo in Long Beach and beyond.…