Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla Purificacion.
Karla, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I actually went to fashion school for product development and completed my bachelor’s in business right after. Working in the business side of the fashion industry for 6 years was amazing but life presented a different opportunity for me and I took it.
Coffee was always a passion of mine. Frequenting all the coffeeshops in downtown LA while working in Fashion definitely had something to do with it. I just never knew it would turn into a business opportunity.
Working as a Brand Manager in Fashion gave me all the branding, merchandising, networking skills I later translated to my shop. Without having any food or coffee experience, I was able to open Kape Republik in two months. I had to be resourceful… it was a completely different industry for me but with a clear vision I was able to tick all the boxes and open April 30, 2016.
“Kape” is coffee in Tagalog. As a Filipino-American woman, it was important for me to have that cultural influence present in all I do. “Republik” is a play on the Republic of the Philippines and the idea of bringing coffee and pastry influences from around the world.
A year later, my little coffeeshop has become known for our unique Filipino-inspired pastries and specialty drinks. Through videos, features, reviewers, word of mouth, and then some… the shop currently has over 300 reviews on Yelp 🙂
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely been a challenge for me coming from no culinary or coffee background. But with the help of my coffee roaster and some talented bakers… we’ve really honed in on what we do well. Every day is a learning process though and I am constantly creating new pastries and new drinks to keep things fresh and exciting.
Please tell us about Kape Republik.
Kape Republik has become known for our specialty pastries. We bake everything in house every single morning… which is rare for a coffeeshop. In particular, our famous Ube Crinkles have their own following. The classic chocolate crinkle cookies served as the inspiration for this Sweet Yam cookie. We can make up to 30 dozen of these addicting cookies on a weekend day. With all of our pastries, we only use the best ingredients including REAL BUTTER in everything!
As far as drinks, we take pride in everything from the simplest espresso shot to one of our refreshing teas such as our Geisha (Matcha Lavender Milk Tea). Again, with our drinks we use real milk, real teas (brewed every morning), and only use real cane sugar to sweeten drinks… absolutely no high fructose syrups most places use.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I grew up internationally. Having been born in the Middle East (Bahrain) to living in different countries every 2-3 years since birth… I’m proud to have been so exposed to so many different cultures. I think that’s why it was so important for me to make my cafe an extension of myself… a melting pot of different cultures (yet primarily rooted in the Filipino culture, as ethnically… that’s who I am).
Contact Info:
- Address: 17206 Norwalk Blvd., Cerritos, CA 90703
- Website: www.kaperepublik.com
- Phone: 562 865 5000
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @kaperepublik
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaperepublik/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kape-republik-cerritos
Image Credit:
Wide Open Aperture Photography – Personal Photo
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
