It was late in the afternoon when I got off the jeep.
Humble Coffee was just across the street. The small coffee shop stood out among the different shops lining San Pedro St. They were an unusual sight in this part of the city that is usually populated with shops that cater to basic needs — carinderias, general merchandise shops, tailoring shops, and pawn shops. A coffee shop is the last thing you would see in the area.
I crossed the street and approached the cafe. A man and woman greeted me with big smiles. Humble has just opened, and their warm welcome made me feel comfortable.
I ordered an Americano.
“Americano? You must be a coffee drinker kasi yan yung ino-order ng mga gusto malaman ang kape ng shops,” the woman said behind the counter. Her name was Socyn, the owner. Her husband, Glenn, was just outside welcome customers. I can see excitement in their eyes each time someone stops and takes a look at the shop. They were excited to serve coffe.
I was served my coffee minutes later. The Americano was clean and smooth.
What was supposed to be a 15-minute visit became a 30-minute visit, as the three of us shared our love for coffee. My visits to Humble become more frequent. These frequent visits allowed me to learn more about Humble and how the family who owns it grew from the challenges thrown at them.
A small spot
Humble started in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was also the time when Davao City saw a boom in its local coffee scene.
Socyn was toying around with the idea of converting their small entryway on the first floor into a take-out counter offering snacks to passersby.
“During the pandemic, I was thinking of what we could put downstairs because even if it’s a very small space, I thought that it is a very good place to put like a snack bar because of the traffic in San Pedro,” Socyn shared.
Her initial plans were to put up a vegan-friendly snack bar. However, she said there is a limited market for that in the area where her business will be.
“If I make the snacks that I know, like the ones that I studied for when I did a plant-based cuisine, it is going to be expensive for this market,” Socyn said.
At this point, Socyn and Glenn were already feeling the pressures of losing their main business at the height of the pandemic. This pressure has already been affecting them not only physically but mentally as well.
Socyn was determined to have something up that will help her family despite the mounting pressures. From a vegan snack bar, they eventually thought of selling Singapore Kopi. However, they scratched the idea because they would not be able to prepare it the authentic way, and they lacked the skills to prepare it the way it should be made.
Their discussion eventually led them to consider having a coffee counter but there was some hesitation to enter the local scene. Socyn said entering the Davao coffee scene can be intimidating because those who came first in the local scene have set the bar high.
Socyn and Glenn talked with some friends who are into coffee to get some insights about opening a coffee shop.
“What struck me the most, and I think what sealed the deal, is when one of our friends said, ‘There are three people who start a coffee business — One, baristas who have those skills but lost their job during the pandemic; two, are people who are passionate about coffee; and three, businessman who found an opportunity with coffee. You don’t have to be very passionate about coffee, you don’t necessarily have the skills right now, but if you find the opportunity to try with that business, then go for it,'” Socyn said.
She added, “And we were like, we are not necessarily in those three categories. I would say we don’t have the skills. We are not very passionate, although we are coffee drinkers like many Filipinos are, in some way, we belong to the entrepreneurs or people who are trying to find opportunities and have been trying to survive this pandemic. Nasa 75 percent na kami na we’re gonna do it.“
It was a trip to Calinan, Davao City that would give them the green light to start their business.
When they reached one of the intersections in Mintal, they saw Craft Coffee. Socyn was already exploring the local coffee scene during these times.
“I told him (Glenn), ‘Dad you know hindi pa tayo nagka-kape… magkape tayo diyan,'” Socyn said.
They expected to only enjoy a good cup of coffee at Craft. After talking with the staff, they found out that Craft roasts its own coffee beans. This caught their interest, and the staff were gracious enough to show them the roastery on the second floor. Later in the day, they talked with Elmar, the owner of Craft, who provided them more insights into having a coffee shop.
However, no decision has been made by the couple yet. With limited resources, Socyn said they bided their time to allow them to make the right and cost-effective decisions.
“We talked to different people, we looked at different suppliers — everyone who possibly has coffee supplies because we wanted to make the right decision for what is left of our resources,” Socyn said.
At the same time, they were equipping themselves with the skills and knowledge they needed to run a coffee shop and about coffee in general. They also continued to coordinate with Elmar, who helped them get an espresso machine and guided them in starting their coffee shop.
In February 2022, Humble opened its doors to the public. During their first few weeks, Socyn would be the person who would greet you if you dropped by Humble. Opening as early as 7 a.m., Socyn starts her day at around 5 a.m. getting their small coffee shop ready.
Glen would work the counter once in awhile, but he would also deliver the the drinks to some of their patrons.
Humble was serving classic coffee drinks from the simple Americano to the best-selling Spanish Latte. They have also been known for their Bandung — a sweet and creamy non-coffee drink with rose syrup. Something quite different from than Humble does is that you can add a scoop of ice cream to your drink. When you do this with their Spanish Latte, it becomes a richer and creamier drink.
“When people are in San Pedro and they want coffee, Humble is just there humbly sitting in a very small spot serving coffee,” Socyn said.
The shop’s name is a reflection of how they started.
“We came into this coffee thing in a very humble state of mind; we lost our main source of income,” Socyn said.
She added, “We are starting with the skill of an entrepreneur; we are starting it already with people who know how to make processes, how to make systems, but a very small one. A humble store is what our resources allow us.”
“It’s the humbling experience — It is not really knowing about coffee; it is us entering the coffee market and the coffee community with very humble knowledge. It is essentially humble beginnings,” Socyn said.
Their faith and determination eventually led them to open a pop-up at Caltex Ecoland and their full-service cafe, Humble Table, located just at the back of their shop.
When you take a step back and look at the whole story of Humble, it is a story of resilience and faith. Socyn has regularly shared that Humble’s growth and what kept them moving forward has been their faith and trust in God. When they opened their full-service cafe in 2023, she reiterated this again by saying that everything seemed to have fell into place at the right time when she started trusting God.