557: Founder Friday! w/ Andre Chanco of Yardstick Coffee in the Philippines!

Once again it is Founder Friday! The world of coffee encompasses vast regions of taste and culture, all united by the communal cup of coffee. In the Philippines there has been an incredible movement of specialty. Yardstick Coffee stands as one of the original specialty coffee roasters and retailers that has built a solid and growing company that continually pursues new ways to serve people through services of wholesale, roasting, equipment, and more. Today we are going to be talking with one of the founders of Yardstick Coffee, Andre Chanco! Andre Chanco began his career in IT, working as a consultant for a multinational company before making an unexpected pivot to coffee. While working part-time at Papa Palheta—one of Singapore's pioneering specialty coffee roasters—he immersed himself in coffee roasting, eventually becoming a full-time apprentice. Over the years, he took on responsibilities in green buying and marketing, setting the foundation for his future in coffee. In 2013, Andre co-founded Yardstick Coffee in Manila with university friends Kevin and Jessica. What began as a wholesale roasting and equipment business has since evolved into one of the Philippines' leading specialty coffee brands. Today, Andre serves as Head of Product and Brand, overseeing green coffee sourcing and the company's product development. Founded in 2013, Yardstick began as a B2B coffee roaster and equipment distributor, becoming the official partner of La Marzocco and Rocket Espresso in the Philippines. With just one showroom and training space in Makati, Yardstick offered coffee roasting, SCA certification workshops, and equipment solutions for cafes and restaurants. Following the pandemic, Yardstick shifted its focus to retail, evolving into a customer-led, community-driven coffee brand. Today, Yardstick operates nine stores across Metro Manila, with plans to open two more by the end of 2025. The company continues to roast specialty coffee in-house, with a strong emphasis on quality, accessibility and discovery. Yardstick has also proudly hosted the Philippine AeroPress Championship for over a decade, championing accessibility, collaboration, and growth in the local coffee scene. I hope you enjoy this conversation that takes you all the way from the founding of Yardstick, into the inner workings of their organization, management and philosophies- to today and what their focus is to continue to deliver exceptional experiences in all areas of the company. Links: https://store.yardstickcoffee.com/ http://www.drinkmorning.com/ http://www.standardsupplystudios.com/ https://www.instagram.com/yardstickcoffee/ Related episodes: Special! "Thinking Differently" Series | Filipino Coffee w/ Ron Dizon of Teofilo Coffee! 310 : Founder Friday w/ Jelynn Malone and Beverly Magtanong of Mostra Coffee 188 : Founder Friday w/ Jon Allen of Onyx Coffee Lab Insights into the specialty coffee industry and its challenges. KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS! Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a community of other owners to help bring perspective, insight, encouragement, and accountability in a well curated setting? Then you need to apply to join Key holder Coaching Groups! Applications are now open for fall 2025 Cohort: Click below to learn more: APPLY TO KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING! If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com of book a free call now: https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min SPONSORS Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs! www.arto.com Visit @artobrick The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com