CEO at 18: How a college student started the 1st SEVENTEEN-inspired cafe in PH

Starting a business on one hand can already be daunting, while being 18 years old on the other comes with its own set of unique trials. But to start a business at 18 is both a privilege and a challenge–both of which were navigated successfully by Samantha Iris Garcia. At just 18, she has already established the first SEVENTEEN-inspired cafe in the Philippines.

Already celebrating its 3rd anniversary this May, Caratreats by Iris has been gaining traction nationwide for its Kpop theme, tasty treats, and creative drinks. Ahead of the milestone, The Red Circle had the opportunity to interview the founder Iris and discuss her journey of building a business and steering it to where it is today.

Intro. New World: The Starting Point

Before the pandemic, Iris’ family was in the tailoring business which made and rented out suits and gowns. But when the COVID-19 hit, as with other businesses, the Garcia family had troubles keeping the tailor shop afloat. With a shared passion for cooking and baking, Iris and her family decided to start over and establish a business in the food industry to help them get back on their feet. But with little money left, Iris had to choose between using the money to enroll in her college or using it as capital for her business.

“Actually, it is not really a downside. I saw it as an opportunity,” Iris said regarding her skipping a school year. “Kapag ipang-eenroll ko siya (money), that’s it. Pero kung i-business namin siya, pwede ko pa siyang paikutin. Then, whatever I get from it, ‘yun ‘yung pang-eenroll ko,” she explained.

Iris also shared the difficulty of having to decide between continuing her studies and starting a business, as she felt the pressure to keep up with her other batchmates. “I doubted myself, but I realized we excel in different things. ‘Yung iba, they excel academically, ‘yung iba sa business.”

Starting a business during the middle of the pandemic was another hurdle for Iris, as she and her family had to learn new things, such as how various delivery companies work and how they can cater to their customers properly since they can only interact through social media. The abundance of cafes and fast food chains in their area was another challenge, so Iris had to think of something to make theirs stand out from the rest.

To take the cafe a step further, she decided to imbue everything with some ‘SEVENTEEN magic.’ From the shop’s interior design to the names of the items on the menu, the cafe turned out to be like a cute little CARAT land. The cafe was named after “CARAT,” or the name of the fandom of the Kpop group, combined with “treats.” Iris mentioned that a mutual friend suggested this on Twitter and that she had gotten permission to use it for her shop.

Say the name, SEVENTEEN!

Iris said she chose the Kpop boy group SEVENTEEN as inspiration for her cafe because, “Through them, I saw what I wanted to do in life.” She added that she found comfort and encouragement from the group’s songs, videos, and live streams to push through all the challenges that she has faced. Iris also shared that some of the members of SEVENTEEN encouraged her, through an online fan sign event where she got the chance to talk to a few of them individually, to continue her business. One of the members, Dokyeom or also known as DK and Iris’ ‘bias’ in the group, even mentioned that he wanted to visit the cafe sometime in the future and was excited to try their special three-cheese pepperoni pizza.

But it isn’t all butterflies and rainbows. Iris said one of the most challenging facets of being a business owner, especially as a startup, is managing the finances. From the little capital Iris’ family had, they initially opened a small store—relatively more cramped than the current iteration of the cafe. This led to difficulties in the work process and when receiving customers. As with any business, she said that there were also slow days that meant they couldn’t reach their quota. When asked if there came a time that she felt like on the verge of giving up on the cafe, Iris said whenever they did not get a lot of orders, doubts would again bubble to the surface.

“‘Tama ba ‘tong ginawa ko?’ ‘Okay lang ba talaga na SEVENTEEN-inspired ‘tong cafe ko?’ Or ‘Dapat ba magdagdag ako sa menu ko?’ ‘Yung mga gano’ng doubt. Pero I never really thought of giving up because when I start something, I dedicate myself to it. And once I’m in a situation na nasimulan ko na siya, I’m not gonna stop. The cafe is something I’m really proud of. So, if I give it up, I have let myself down. So I never thought of giving up the cafe because I think of it as (part of) myself,” she shared. 

Drawing from the message of SEVENTEEN’s song, Circles, Iris kept on pushing herself to grow as a business owner and as her own person. She was able to hold up through all the difficult times because she knows, as her favorite group sings, “It’s gonna be okay, like the hands on the clock. They’ll go in circles back to their places.”

“It’s a learning process—every day. From time to time, step by step, malalaman mo din ang mga bagay bagay. And in the long run, hopefully, ma-perfect mo na siya,” Iris added. 

It’ll make you go ‘Aju Nice!’

Upon entering Caratreats by Iris, you will be greeted by several SEVENTEEN-inspired items. The cafe’s interior design is in the group’s official fandom colors, Rose Quartz and Serenity. It also has shelves filled with SEVENTEEN albums, a life-sized cardboard standee of the group, and other unofficial merchandise like tote bags, mugs, and photo card holders. You also won’t be wrong to assume that you’ll hear the group’s songs playing in the cafe throughout the day.

The menu is filled to the brim with items perfect for brunch or merienda. Caratreats by Iris offers different flavors of pasta, baked kimchi fried rice, pizzas, tteokbokki, and various desserts. They also have set meals where you can get your choice of pasta or dish, with a drink and dessert for a lower price. Aside from hot and iced coffee like Babo Latte and Carat Pop, the cafe also sells classic and special milk teas like Wintermelon and Quartz flavors. For those looking to skip the caffeine, they also have fruit milk drinks with strawberry, banana, and melon flavors.

For first-time customers, Iris recommends their Dalkomhan Duo menu, which consists of their two best-seller desserts: the Campfire Cookies and Chocolate Fudge Brownies. It costs around P300 with six pieces of each dessert.

Aside from the food, customers can also buy some of the official merch displayed in the cafe. Iris also opened a clothing line, Caratreats Closet, where customers can purchase various SEVENTEEN-inspired clothes and accessories such as cardigans, knitted vests, tank tops, oversized shirts, and berets.

To further elevate the fan experience, Iris mentioned that the cafe also hosts various events. To celebrate the group members’ birthdays, anniversaries, and comebacks, Iris holds cup sleeve events where fans can get a SEVENTEEN-designed cup sleeve, a photocard, and a banner for a minimum purchase of P300.

In addition, there are also times when the cafe holds exclusive viewing parties when the group has online concerts and fan meetings. Their biggest event was last April 2022, when they organized a private block screening of SEVENTEEN’s Power of Love: The Movie at SM Bacoor, which was attended by almost 600 Carats.  

As Caratreats celebrates its 3rd anniversary, Iris brought up the idea of opening another branch and expanding to other cities. Like many business owners, Iris dreams of growing her cafe and seeing it flourish over time. But for now, she said she wanted to focus on the cafe—improving the space, adding more to the menu, and organizing more events for Carats her store. She’s inviting Carats, Kpop enthusiasts, foodies, or anyone interested, to visit Caratreats by Iris at the Millenium Building along Governor’s Drive, Sampaloc 1, in Dasmariñas, Cavite right across SM Dasmariñas.

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