From Cozy Cafe to Flourishing Franchise — CEO Joyce Yu Larks Her Way to Success
Learn more about Lark business mentee, Joyce Yu, and her company, True Blends Tea & Coffee.
At the end of the Lark Your Way to Success webinar series last year, Joyce Yu, President and CEO of True Blends Tea & Coffee, was announced as one of two winners of a business mentorship under Lark. Get to know more about the brand, the woman behind it, and how a cafeteria coffee cart in Katipunan turned into a nationwide franchise.
The Early Years
With no formal background in entrepreneurship, Joyce Yu was able to launch a small cafe of her own, and grow it into a successful multi-branch business over the course of 12 years. Joyce worked as a medical technologist prior to starting True Blends with her brother and husband in 2009. Their first branch was a cozy cafe located in the Ateneo de Manila High School cafeteria, which served hot and cold coffee-based drinks, pastries, and desserts.
Known back then as True Brew, the cafe quickly gained popularity among the Ateneo students, faculty, and parents. They would come for the food and drinks, relaxing ambiance, and personalized service. The company soon expanded with branches in key cities around the country. At present, you can find True Blends Tea & Coffee shops in Manila, Makati, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Cebu, and Cotabato.
Delicious Food and Must-Try Drinks
A Successful Business By An Accomplished Entrepreneur
Looking towards the future, Joyce has started exploring digitization for True Blends in order to keep up with the evolving landscape of business. By employing solutions such as Lark, she is able to equip her company to adapt well to digital change. Apart from holding meetings with her franchisees, and connecting with fellow members of AFFI over Lark, Joyce has also started looking into using the platform as a tool for inventory management, in the hopes of streamlining this process for her business.
Find out more about True Blends Tea & Coffee at https://trueblendsph.com. To learn more about Lark, visit www.larksuite.com.
Aside from being a businessman, Josh Austria has been working in PR and media industry for more more than a decade. From his years of experience as the Marketing and Advertising Head of Village Pipol Magazine, he has built strong relationships with creative people, brands, and organizations.