Cara Mia refreshing sweetness in this new-normal summer
April 21st, 2022
Cara Mia’s latest summer gelato flavors include ube with white chocolate, mango berry medley, and peanut butter.
On April 9, the 40th Cara Mia location debuted at SM Grand Central Caloocan, serving thanks in the form of cakes and gelato.
Danny and Tessie Moran had a fascinating background and intended to make Cara Mia the Philippines’ leading cake and gelato destination. When the Morans made Amici gelato their favorite in the 1990s, the Don Bosco priests still controlled it.
The Morans, along with their sons Philip and Paolo and daughter Pammy, recognized the potential of Cara Mia and chose to separate it from Amici with the opening of its Greenhills branch in 2009.
25 years later, Cara Mia is still giving sweetness and happiness to Filipino palates.
“Because of the lockdowns, we saw a significant change to food delivery over the previous two pandemic years,” said Philip Moran, COO and GM of Cara Mia and Amici Restaurant. “In response to market demand, we began developing products that were better suited to shipment; we also updated packaging to better withstand travel.”
Cara Mia refreshing debuted the “new normal” and reopened face-to-face dining after two difficult years with the opening of its 40th location. The addition of neon light elements to the store made it more gorgeous and Instagrammable, emphasizing the festiveness of the surroundings.
“Because we know our market is predominantly made up of millennials, we made the storefronts more appealing and Instagram-ready,” Philip added.
Gelato sales have soared now that more people are out shopping, which is a welcome change from the pandemic years.
“Now that people can go out more, they’re still buying gelato and cakes for celebrations,” he noted. “We’re also putting together a list of upcoming cakes that we’ll be releasing throughout the year.”
SM Grand Central is the brand’s third branch to open this year, which has been lucky. Cara Mia refreshing sweetness to SM Marilao and SM Lipa in the first quarter of 2022. Cara Mia intends to add four or five new locations this year.
“We’ll open two additional Cara Mia branches before Mother’s Day in SM Mall of Asia and SM Bicutan,” Philip said. “After all, foodies have been cooped up at home for the past two years and are making up for lost time with revenge dining and revenge travel.”
The ribbon was cut by owners Philip Moran, chef Paolo Moran, and Pammy Moran, as well as Junias Eusebio and Ana Datu.
