When Jaime Gonzalez Fernandez and his team opened their first Pick Up Coffee location in 2022, they didn’t have a logo, a campaign, or even a public announcement.
They didn’t need one.
“The first time we opened our online store, the orders just didn’t stop coming in,” Fernandez said in an interview with Financial Adviser PH. “And this was before we had even launched the brand or made any external communication.”
That early traction became proof of concept—not just for the product, but for the bold belief that fueled it: delicious, high-quality coffee should be fast, affordable, and accessible to everyone.
Born at the height of the pandemic, Pick Up Coffee wasn’t built for slow rollouts or soft openings. It was built to move fast and uplift—a mission that’s baked into its tagline: “UPlift everyone, everywhere—one pickup at a time.”
From Conviction to Execution—in Weeks
Fernandez, who describes entrepreneurship as something “that’s always been a part of my personality,” saw an urgent gap in the coffee market: great espresso drinks were either too expensive or too slow.
“We weren’t just trying to launch another coffee chain,” he said. “We were solving a real problem—how to deliver high-quality, affordable coffee to as many people as possible.”
What followed was a rapid-fire execution. Within weeks, he assembled a lean team, developed the operations model, and launched Pick Up Coffee as an online-first delivery brand. The timing was perfect—right when food delivery had become a lifeline for customers stuck at home.
No Ads. No Buzzwords. Just Demand.
Unlike most startups that spend months (or years) building up a brand, Pick Up Coffee skipped the traditional marketing playbook entirely.
“We believed in the product so much, we just went all in,” Fernandez told Financial Adviser PH. “We had no advertising. We just opened—and customers found us.”
That organic demand validated the brand’s core value proposition: premium drinks, fast delivery, and surprisingly affordable prices.
Their earliest customers became unofficial ambassadors, helping the brand grow before any major campaign had even launched.
Building a Brand on Speed, Quality, and Grit
While it may have started fast, Pick Up Coffee’s success didn’t happen by chance. The team doubled down on three core pillars: quality, affordability, and accessibility. From menu development to store locations, every decision was filtered through that lens.
Fernandez also credits their early success to relentless decision-making and a willingness to adjust in real-time.
“We didn’t know everything in the beginning,” he admitted. “But we made small corrections every day. That’s what kept us moving forward.”
Instead of waiting for perfect answers, the team moved quickly—then optimized as they went.
Fueled by Purpose, Not Just Profit
For Fernandez, conviction was always more important than capital. The business was initially supported by friends, family, and a few early investors—but what truly kept it alive was belief.
“We’ve always been very happy with Pick Up Coffee,” he said. “There was never a moment of doubt.”
That mindset translated into culture. Today, the team is scaling fast while staying grounded in its original mission—to uplift. And even with multiple stores, a growing fanbase, and buzz around new locations, the startup hasn’t lost its startup energy.
Advice for Entrepreneurs: Believe First, Market Later
When asked what he’d say to aspiring founders, Fernandez didn’t talk about business plans or pitch decks.
“If you believe in the idea deeply, act on it,” he said. “You don’t need to wait for permission. You don’t even need to wait for perfect marketing. Just deliver something people genuinely want.”
From a silent launch to a viral coffee brand, Pick Up Coffee is a lesson in conviction-led execution—and proof that in a world of noise, product-market fit still wins.
