Yellow Hauz. Many who grew up in or migrated to Davao City in the late 2000s and early 2010s would be familiar with this coffee shop.
For almost two decades, Yellow Hauz has been a home to students, reviewers hoping to pass their board exams, online workers, friends catching up, and people from different backgrounds. It has also witnessed awkward first dates, individuals adjusting to a new city, and the highs and lows of those people you had a cup of coffee with here.
But Yellow Hauz is not just a coffee shop. It is a story of a family honoring and carrying the legacy of their loved one and becoming a home to many Dabawenyos and those passing by.
April San Pedro, owner and founder of Yellow Hauz, said the coffee shop started as a project when she was still a student. Her father also wanted to start a business on the first floor of their house. One of their initial concepts was a shop serving coffee or other beverages. However, the plan did not go through at that time.
In her second year in college, it was that time her mother encouraged them to push through with the plan after the death of her father.
“Mama decided to, you know… let’s push what Papa wanted. So, we had a renovation during that time [but] we didn’t have any idea yet what to put up. What we [initially] did was renovate the ground floor. [The ground floor] was just empty, and then sa taas kami nakatira (we lived on the second floor),” April said.
They also repainted the house yellow, their father’s favorite color, in memory of him.
While they did not have a business in mind, the ground floor remained open. Since April was still a student, she and her friends would do their projects here.
“Every time we have a project nga diri sa balay buhaton, mura siyag nahimong landmark. Everytime there is a taxi, mag ingon na ingna lang ang taxi driver sa yellow house… wala pa kaayo diha sa front, so medyo makita gyud nimo siya as a yellow building. Mao to siya nag start as yellow house (Each time we do our school project at home, our house becomes like a landmark. When they come here in a taxi, we tell them to instruct the driver to take them to the yellow house. Back then, few buildings were in the area, so our yellow house was prominent. That is how it became ‘yellow house’),” April said.
Only after April graduated college did they start planning what kind of business they would have on the ground floor of their house.
“We could not think of anything. Dili man mi cook sa akong sisters. So, dili restaurant ang first idea (My sisters and I were not cooks. So, opening a restaurant was not our first idea). We thought of a bar, but we were all girls and we didn’t drink kaayo pod (We do not drink that much)… Nagka idea mi nga (We had the idea of) maybe a coffee shop or cafe, but the problem was dili ko (I am not a) coffee drinker at that time, even my mom and sister,” April said.
She added that during the mid-2000s, the resources and suppliers catering to coffee shops were limited. At that time, she recalls, there were only a handful of coffee shops like Blugre and Basti’s Brew.
Thus, the plan to open a shop on the ground floor of their house had to be temporarily put on hold.
The opportunity to start their business came when April worked in Metro Manila. It was here where things for their business plans were re-ignited.
“Nakakita ko’g (I found a) course or workshop [on] coffee… I attended that one and [learned that] this is how you make coffee using an espresso machine,” April said. After the workshop, the organizers also provided her with contact details of potential suppliers.
April now saw the opportunity to kickstart their coffee shop plans. The difference compared to before is that now they have contact details of suppliers who can provide them with the materials they need to start a shop.
Thus, she opened up to her mom about opening a coffee shop on the ground floor of their house, and her mom agreed to their plans.
In 2007, they opened Coffee at Yellow Hauz in Davao City, a market where the coffee scene was barely in its infancy.
“At that time, 2007, when we started, people were hesitant because Dabawenyos, murag dili pa kaayo open to everything. The idea was like ngano ka mag coffee outside sa balay nga naa mana sa imuhang comfort zone. Dili pa sila open to the idea na when you go out, you’ll have coffee and eat. Tapos dili man pud as daghan pag choices na (When we opened in 2007, Dabawenyos were not very open yet to new things. Many would ask why you would get coffee somewhere else when you can have it at home. They are not that open to the idea of eating out and having coffee. Our options then were also limited),” April said.
Despite a rocky start, Yellow Hauz pressed on. As one of the few coffee shops in Davao City at the time, it was the go-to place for students looking for a place to study, professionals needing a place to meet, and friends finding a shop to catch up with one another.
Not just a coffee shop
Yellow Hauz slowly grew into something more than a coffee show. It slowly evolved into a sort of home for Davao City’s residents.
Looking back, April said she does not recall Yellow Hauz having some “hero product” that had customers regularly returning.
The Dabawenya entrepreneur sees that experience and their relationships with customers had people coming back to Yellow Hauz.
“I had few baristas and staff with us for 16 or 15 years… So pag magbalik sila (customers) diri, they would say, ‘Huy, ikaw man gyud tong barista tung nag eskwela pako diri’ (When some customers come back to the coffee shop after a very long time and see the baristas, they would say, ‘Oh, you were the barista when we used to study here’),” April said.
She added that couples also shared a cup of coffee at Yellow Hauz from the start of their relationship to getting married and eventually having their kids.
“Maybe it’s not just the product… but more of their shared memories. [Yellow Hauz is] a house murag gani’g in a way nga ang customer became a family napud (Some of our customers eventually became a family to us),” April said.
Changing times
The coffee shop has made different changes to keep up with the times.
Yellow Hauz was initially designed using the house’s floor plan. For example, the meeting room was previously the master bedroom, while the coffee shop’s entryway was the living room.
In the following years, they added outdoor spaces. However, because of the city’s stricter smoking policy, they expanded their indoor spaces.
On their third renovation, they transferred the meeting room to what used to be Yellow Hauz’s outdoor spaces.
After transferring the meeting room’s location, they expanded their indoor dining area. They redesigned the dining area to cater to online workers and students, with ample seating and power sockets.
The coffee shop has also improved the coffee it serves, noting the changing taste and preference of the Davao market.
April described the coffee scene when they opened as being straightforward and simple. For example, the market was not particular about the beans they used before as long as they could serve a cup of coffee.
“Karon different na siya kay people are knowledgeable when it comes to the coffee beans murag dili nalang ni siya basta-basta… karon, naa na gyu’y preference na if it is good beans, it would taste good pud (It is different now because people are knowledgeable when it comes to coffee beans. People now have a preference. They know that if you are serving good beans, your coffee will taste better),” April said.
Wacky Masbad, April’s partner, also said that because the market has changed over time, it can be challenging to determine what kind of coffee people like now.
“The only way to kind of answer the challenge is to find your sweet spot sa imohang kape (of your coffee), and then you try and make sure that you hit that flavor of your coffee every time nga magpull kag shot (you pull a shot),” Wacky said.
Staying in the game
Behind the stories of shared memories and good experiences at Yellow Hauz are its people, whom April sees as having played a significant role in helping them stay in the game.
“Of course, important ang product you are offering because that’s what’s people are getting from you. But, another important thing is ang people like the staff itself,” April said.
She said they constantly remind their team of their essential role in keeping the business afloat.
“We [have to] take care of our customers. We always remind ourselves that we became friends with these customers; we take care of them, even simple requests,” April said.
She said that taking care and ensuring that their team is well equipped tends to translate to better customer experience.
“If I am a customer at Yellow Hauz, I will order your coffee, but then the question is, ‘Magbalik ba ko diri kay giganahan bako? Ganahan ba ko sa inyonng food? Ganahan ba ko sa service mga ingon ana?’ (Will I come because I enjoyed the experience? Did I like the food? Didi I like the service?),” April said.
April said one of the things their regulars appreciate about their staff is their ability to remember their orders or what they like.
“Gamay siya na butang pero dako siya nga impact (These are simple actions but have an impact on the customers),” Wacky said.
Building a community
The shared memories people have of Yellow Hauz have, in one way or another, developed a community. When you visit the coffee shop, you notice clicks of customers catching up over a cup of coffee. Sometimes, groups have their community activities, be it a small fair or a learning session.
Thus, it is natural for the coffee shop to move towards building and supporting the communities it has become part of.
“Yellow Hauz has been here 17 years… unsa pa’y pwede ma-offer (what else can we offer) to the community. I think it is the space that we have. Perhaps pwede pud ta mag-lead (Maybe we can take the lead) in the community building,” Wacky said.
April, who also does journals and is in the creative industry, shared that she used to hold workshops at Yellow Hauz or a group would organize an event at the coffee shop as a collaborator.
“[Now] we want to have a gathering of the community not simply to educate but more to share knowledge… We wanted to create a community,” she said.
One of the communities Yellow Hauz hopes to help is the local coffee community, especially for those who are just getting into the business of coffee or want to invest in it.
Wacky and April hope to organize learning sessions with fellow coffee shop owners who can give insights on how one can start in the industry.
“I am sure daghan diha nagana-huna-huna mag put-up og (a lot are thinking of putting up their own) small coffee shop, but they don’t know how to, and they don’t know where to start or who to talk to,” Wacky said.
“Ang space is to become not just to have so many memories with other customers… other than that; we wanted a space na diri pud sila naka learn, and na-inspire (where they can learn and be inspired), either from us or from other or the owners,” April added.
Wacky said they want to build a legacy that will benefit the coffee scene of Davao City rather than simply creating or joining trends.
The last 18 years have been eventful for Yellow Hauz as it has ridden the changes in the coffee scene, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The coffee shop remained steadfast amid the challenges and kept up with the changes in their own ways.
This coffee shop, built on the ground floor of a house painted in yellow, serves as a home for its owners and a loving memory of their patriarch. But they are not the only ones who have good memories here. For nearly two decades, Yellow Hauz has also been part of the memories of many Dabawenyos and tourists.
In the coming years, this yellow house will form part of the vibrant memories of a new generation.