Manila · Philippines
Yardstick Coffee
Yardstick Coffee roasts in Manila, Metro Manila.
Since 2013 · Andre Chanco, Kevin Tang, Jessica Lee
Overview
Yardstick opened in 2013 in Legazpi Village, Makati, founded by university friends Andre Chanco, Kevin Tang, and Jessica Lee. Chanco had spent 13 years in Singapore — including an apprenticeship at pioneering specialty roastery Papa Palheta — and chose Manila over the saturated Singapore market because the Philippines presented an opportunity to define what specialty coffee could be in Southeast Asia. The brand started as a B2B roaster and the official Philippines distributor of La Marzocco and Rocket Espresso; after the pandemic it pivoted to retail and now operates 10+ cafes across Metro Manila, ranked #34 on the World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026 list.
Known for
- Pioneering specialty coffee operation in the Philippines
- Andre Chanco trained at Papa Palheta in Singapore before founding Yardstick
- Official Philippines distributor for La Marzocco and Rocket Espresso
- Hosts the Philippine AeroPress Championship since 2014
- Ranked #34 on World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026
- Diedrich IR-5 and Probat P12 production roasters
Why it matters
Yardstick set the actual yardstick — the name is literal — for what specialty coffee could be in the Philippines, in a market where the founders were repeatedly mistaken for a furniture shop in their first weeks open. They proved a producing country could host international-grade specialty without compromising on quality or local producer relationships.
Production
- head roaster
- Andre Chanco
- roaster machine
- Diedrich IR-5 and Probat P12
- roastery location
- Legazpi Village, Makati
- espresso equipment
- La Marzocco Strada MP
Café
10+ locations including Legazpi Village, BGC, SM Aura, Rockwell
Recognitions
- World's 100 Best Coffee Shops #34 (2026)
- Host of the Philippine AeroPress Championship since 2014
- Official Philippines distributor: La Marzocco, Rocket Espresso