Twenty-three years ago, Johnlu Koa as a budding Filipino entrepreneur stepped on uncharted territory when he opened The French Baker, the first French bakery cafe in the country. Complementing the malls experience, The French Baker created its own niche category. Totally unheard then, Koa introduced live baking on each store with fully-equipped kitchens and ovens that caught the attention of customers that kept coming back to take advantage of real fresh-baked products, especially the French croissants and baguettes.
“You cannot find crusty buns and rolls in any other bakeries. We are so dedicated to making them. Our mission is to bake hard-to-bake breads,” shares Koa. And the difference with their baked products is in its taste, flavor and symphony of crackle that comes only from good bread.
Fast forward to present time, The French Baker remains on top of its category after opening 43 stores located mostly at the SM Supermalls. In 1994, The French Baker received the Agora Award for the Company of the Year by the Philippine Marketing Association. For 2003 to 2004, the bakery cafe was included in the Superbrands Philippines’ roster, then in 2010, the Hall of Fame Award by the Philippine Retailers Association.
Koa’s keen sense on market opportunities and formidable drive to product development helped The French Baker to remain relevant in the market to this day. “We would rather understand the market and pursue what we can potentially do for them that others could not,” reveals Koa. “Our success formula is to be focused on mall customers, on what they want that we can offer.”
To keep ahead, Koa observes international trends by having frequent trips abroad as well as taking suggestions from local chefs and foodies. From there, he then takes his cue and foresees the same trend two or three years happening locally. The French Baker achieved a breakthrough when it started carrying 100 percent whole grain, the purest whole wheat bread available in the market today. Lately, he introduced giant-sized “Parisian Macaron” cookies filled with French butter cream in pistachio, mocha, raspberry and chocolate that can be eaten as a snack or dessert. “I believe my macaron comes very close to the ones in Paris,” muses Koa. Every Christmas season, Koa bakes his “pure Danish butter cookies” and packs them in an attractive jar. “Customers look forward to it as I do it only once a year,” he adds.
Soon The French Baker will be coming out with gluten-free pizza, cupcakes, chocolates and birthday cakes even though the market is so small according to Koa. “There is no other baker who is willing to produce gluten-free baked products and we want to be the first. We do not mind having a longer payback period as long as customers’ interest and approval remain high.”
A stickler for quality that, ultimately, begets customer satisfaction, Koa adheres to the highest standards in every part of the baking process which he personally supervises. For example, French Bakers’ carrot cake is made from real carrots and juice just like the fruit cake having real bits of fruits, walnuts and almonds.
Koa’s passion and drive toward excellence has earned him many accolades. In 2006, he was hailed as an emerging entrepreneur by Ernst & Young. Ten years after he was recognized as one of The Outstanding Young Men for Entrepreneurship.
His presence in the market through the French Baker opened local taste buds to sophisticated flavors and pushed baking to the top rung of the culinary arts. “With French Baker, you know, we are a serious baker. Baking involves very punishing work– physically and mentally. To make a piece of bread, you’ll need a minimum of four to 15 hours. To bake a cake, it only takes 40 minutes. Baking bread is definitely ‘not a piece of cake’. A baker needs to know the art and science behind it, understand the process of fermentation and all the aspects of bakery production. Bread is now looked upon not just as another snack but an interesting product worth going back to,” said Koa.
Moving on to new challenges, Koa now repositions The French Baker as a worthy alternative to a popular chain of coffee shops by introducing his “La Brasserie” concept restaurants inside French Baker stores. “We have more food choices, drinks and offer free access to high-speed wi-fi Internet connection to our dining customers that encourages them to stay as long as they want. We provide universal outlets to allow easy recharging of their laptops. We brew Tchibo, Europe’s finest coffee. We are quite focused on their dining experience.”
Koa, a cum laude in Business Administration, is a former faculty member and Secretary of the College of Business Administration in the UP College of Business in Diliman. He taught while earning his Master’s degree. He won the TOYM for Entrepreneurship in 1996 and the “Ernst & Young Emerging Master Entrepreneur of the Year” award in 2006. He currently writes a regular column for the monthly F&B World/ Baking Press Food Magazine. He also shares his experience and knowledge through his involvement in the GoNegosyo movement where he gives free public lectures on entrepreneurship and strategic marketing, and baking demonstrations all over the country.
Carla's Social Realism 