MEGAWORLD subsidiary Global-Estate Resorts Inc. (GERI), the leading developer of master-planned integrated tourism estates in the country, recently launched the Arden Café, its new café showroom, at the Arden Botanical Estate in Cavite.
The Arden Café is an innovation on the usual showroom, instead offering clients and potential buyers an immersive experience rather than mock-ups and model houses. Situated along Governor Drive, just off the roadside, and sitting on a little hill, it offers sweeping views of the 251 hectares that comprise the Arden Botanical Estate, the mountains beyond it, and — to the late afternoon visitor — the sunset as well.
The Arden Cafe on the Arden Botanical Estate. photo from arden cafe botanical estate facebook pageArden Café is meant to echo the Arden brand, Rowena Espiritu, head of sales and marketing at Megaworld Global-Estate Inc., told The Manila Times.
"The name 'arden' means a place of solitude and great beauty. It began as a concept that is slowly coming to life," she added.
The objective of Arden Café is to provide clients with the opportunity to experience the property face-to-face, with all senses engaged, Espiritu explained. "We want them to have a good time and offer them the fika experience, since the property is Scandinavian in theme."
Guests at the cafe exterior. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOSFika, pronounced fee-kuh, in English, means to have coffee or take a coffee break. But Espiritu explained its deeper meaning: "... A state of mind where you take a moment to enjoy your life, appreciate your surroundings. Here at Arden Café, our clients can enjoy signature premium coffee, tea, and pastries, all while visualizing their future in this rising sustainable township."
The Arden Café menu reflects the house names and properties inside the Arden Botanical Estate. One tea is named after the 17-hectare The Lindgren, which offers 11 different Scandinavian-inspired house and lot design options.
Promoting a lifestyle of balance and harmony.The Scandinavian style was chosen as the main theme of the project as its lifestyle philosophies resonate with what the property developers want to offer future residents of Arden Botanical Estate. Scandinavians are known to live happy, healthy, balanced, and simple lives — characteristics that pave the way for them to be hailed as the happiest countries in the world.
Weng Bagadion, the CEO of WBagadion Consulting, who led the launch's tea-tasting session, said that the Arden Café menu is also aligned with the promise of arden, which is to embody sustainability and the vision of a cleaner and better world.
"We would like to explore the cultivation of luxury teas right out of Arden's garden. The idea is very much in line with sustainability. You grow what you need. There are a lot of edible flowers. Hopefully, in the near future, Arden can offer these flowers in its gardens as well," Bagadion said.
Expanding markets
After initially targeting retirees, the Arden Botanical Estate soon expanded to other markets, such as millennials looking for a smart investment, starting families looking to own their first home, lifestyle upgraders, and CEOs and businessmen who long to live in a lush, serene, yet dynamic community.
The Arden Cafe entrance.The township's components were made for people who want to wake up every day refreshed by nature. These include an iconic Breathing Chapel where one can enjoy peaceful moments of reflection, and the Flower Field and Lombard Walk, which offer the same kind of solace but with an ocean of flora.
Arden Botanical Estate offers sustainability features such as the use of solar street lights, electric shuttles for transport, stormwater recycling, permeable pavements for driveways and parking, and organic fertilizers and pesticides for gardens.
Launched before the pandemic, Arden Botanical Estate has since sold out two of its planned residential villages, namely the Arden Botanical Village and the Arden Westpark Village.
As for The Lindgren, Phase 1 of its three phases has already sold out.
The Lindgren offers different house designs, all bearing the Scandinavian design aesthetic characterized by simplicity, warmth, light, natural woods, neutral colors and functionality.
The residential villages will take up half of the entire Estate, with the rest of the area allotted for commercial areas, sports and adventure parks, a school, and a mixed-use commercial district. Highlights of the Estate include a Flower Farm, Flower Tunnel, The Little Botanist playground, and the first-of-its-kind Breathing Chapel.
Arden Botanical Estate is Megaworld's 25th township development and GERI's 8th lifestyle and tourism development. Both companies will spend P18 billion to develop Arden Botanical Estate in the next 15 years.
The Arden Café is exclusive to guests and clients on an appointment-only basis. For more info, click on https://bit.ly/ArdenCafe.
