Making the iconic Korean heart sign (L-R) Jollibee Group Global Chief Executive Officer and President Ernesto Tanmantiong, Jollibee Group Global Chief Business Support Officer William Tan Untiong, Compose Coffee Korea Chief Executive Officer Gordon Cho, first Compose Coffee Philippines franchisee Jeannie Posas, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, Jollibee Group Chairman and Founder Tony Tan Caktiong, Jollibee Group Philippines Chief Executive Officer Joseph Tanbuntiong, and Compose Coffee Philippines Head Allan Tan celebrate the arrival of Compose Coffee, one of Korea’s leading coffee chains, in the Philippines.
The Philippine coffee war just got hotter.
Jollibee Group has officially unleashed Compose Coffee in the country, bringing one of South Korea’s biggest coffee chains into a fiercely competitive Philippine café market—and it is not coming in quietly.
The first Philippine Compose Coffee store opened on August 7, 2026 at Market! Market! in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, launching what could become one of Jollibee Group’s biggest beverage expansion bets yet.
The target is ambitious: turn the Philippines into Compose Coffee’s largest market outside South Korea within five years.
That means the BGC opening is not just another Korean café launch. It could be the opening shot in a much bigger battle for Filipino coffee drinkers.
Korean Coffee Powerhouse Lands in Manila
Compose Coffee already has serious firepower.
The brand operates more than 3,000 stores in South Korea, with approximately 1,000 branches added in less than 18 months—a blistering pace of expansion in one of the world’s most competitive coffee markets.
Now, with Jollibee Group providing its local expertise, infrastructure and franchising muscle, Compose Coffee is preparing to reproduce that growth story in the Philippines.
“Our confidence in Compose Coffee’s future in the Philippines is not based on projection alone. It is grounded in experience,” said Joseph Tanbuntiong, Chief Executive Officer of Jollibee Group Philippines and Head of Jollibee Brand Global.
Tanbuntiong said the strategy is to combine Compose Coffee’s proven business model with Jollibee Group’s deep understanding of the Philippine market.
Translation: Jollibee is not merely testing the waters.
It wants Compose Coffee to scale.
A New Challenger Enters the Coffee Battlefield
The timing could make things interesting.
Filipinos now have more coffee choices than ever, from global giants and premium café chains to aggressively expanding local budget brands.
Compose Coffee is entering that battlefield with a formula built around affordable pricing, accessible drinks, Korean branding and a massive menu.
Customers can expect familiar favorites such as Americanos and flavored lattes, alongside Korean-inspired creations, non-coffee lattes, frappes, smoothies, ades, juices, desserts and seasonal drinks.
That gives Compose Coffee plenty of ammunition to target everyone from office workers hunting for their daily caffeine fix to younger consumers obsessed with Korean food, fashion and café culture.
Compose Coffee Korea CEO Gordon Cho said the brand’s rise in South Korea proves it can survive—and thrive—in a brutally competitive market.
“South Korea is one of the world’s highest coffee-consuming countries per capita and one of the most competitive coffee markets globally,” Cho said.
He said the company plans to bring the same focus on quality, value and consistency to Filipino consumers.
Jollibee’s Secret Weapon: Franchising
The real threat to established coffee players, however, may not be the drinks.
It is the expansion strategy.
Compose Coffee’s Philippine rollout will be driven heavily by franchising, allowing the brand to expand rapidly without relying entirely on company-owned stores.
For entrepreneurs, that opens the door to joining a Korean coffee brand backed by one of the Philippines’ most powerful food companies.
Local franchisee Jeannie Posas said that combination was exactly what convinced her to invest.
“I’ve long admired how Compose Coffee built a loyal following in South Korea by staying true to quality and value,” Posas said.
She added that Jollibee Group’s experience building brands Filipinos already love gave her confidence in Compose Coffee’s long-term potential.
From One Store to a Nationwide Coffee Offensive
The Market! Market! branch may be the first, but Jollibee Group has made it clear that it wants far more.
Over the next five years, the company aims to establish the biggest Compose Coffee network outside South Korea in the Philippines.
If that plan takes off, Compose Coffee could quickly become a familiar sight in malls, business districts and commercial centers across the country.
For Jollibee Group, the move also strengthens its growing coffee and tea portfolio as it continues expanding beyond burgers, fried chicken and traditional fast food.
For Philippine coffee chains, meanwhile, a new heavyweight has officially entered the ring.
Korean branding. Thousands of stores of experience. Jollibee’s expansion machine.
The question now is no longer whether Compose Coffee can enter the Philippine coffee war.
It is how much of the market it can take.