Liceo del Verbo Divino

Avenida Veteranos, Tacloban City

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FoodTok Café: Turning the 2020 Dalgona Coffee Trend into a Vegan and Social

Media- Influenced Small Manufacturing Business

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In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course

Inquiries, Investigation, and Immersion & Business Enterprise Simulation

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Proponents:

Alvero, Mhar Nyl

De Paz, Aerviegne Jaive

Germones, Ma. Nieca May

Gutierrez, Mike Lorenz

Lagado, Aiella Mae

Malaluan, Chryshia Maye

Pangue, Kiani Iszabel

Tan, Steffanie

Grade 12 – Our Lady of Caysasay

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February 2022
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Brief Research Context

Manufacturing has been around for millennia and traditionally done by experienced

artisans, sometimes with the help of assistants, and the knowledge became passed down through

apprenticeship. The term "manufacturing" often refers to the process of converting raw materials

into finished products by employing tools, human labor, and machinery (Kenton et al., 2021).

The industrial revolution became the first primary shift in the manufacturing industry. In the 18th

century, this change occurred wherein, instead of producing goods manually and by hand, a

process became evident that allowed the invention of products through using machines

(Inventionland, n.d.). Through manufacturing, manufacturers can sell finished goods at a higher

cost than the original price of the raw materials. Moreover, the prime goal of manufacturing is to

manufacture as many items as feasible at the lowest possible cost (Quain, 2018).

This study will center on a manufacturing business producing Dalgona Coffee, popular

on social media in 2020 but with the twist of being a vegan version. In late 2019, a ribonucleic

acid (RNA) virus appeared in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in China. In 2020, the virus

developed to be a novel coronavirus and classified as Coronavirus 2019 or better known as

CoVid-19 (World Health Organization, 2020). This occurrence alarmed the public, and the

widespread of the virus caused the government to implement lockdowns nationwide. Along with

this, most of the Filipinos were obliged to stay in their respective homes. However, the pandemic

did not stop people from being creative and productive. During the lockdown in 2020, people
found ways to ease boredom. TikTok, a video-based social media platform, became popular at

that time. Most of the trends were coming from that platform, including the food products where

the study will be based. Food trends of 2020, specifically Dalgona coffee, will be the focus and

the product priority of this study.

The fact that food shown on social media immediately becomes popular or trending, there

is no doubt that the researchers' product will cause recognition by netizens- a person actively

involved in online communities. Turning food trends into a business will challenge the

researchers' ability to make the internet sensations profitable and suitable for the taste and

interest of the target market. Not all internet food trends create acknowledgments due to health

and nutrition-related factors etc. The researchers will conduct a study based on the problem to

find an alternative method of food serving that satisfies health-conscious customers while also

capturing the tastes of the target market. As a result, the researchers propose veganism in

removing the unhealthy factors associated with Dalgona Coffee.

The said vegan lifestyle is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far

as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals for food, clothing,

or any other purpose. Also, it promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for

the benefit of animals, humans, and the environment. In dietary terms, it denotes the practice of

dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals (The Vegan Lifestyle, n.d).

Vegan diets can be healthy for anyone of any age, including children, pregnant and lactating

women, and the elderly (I Love Vegan, n.d). A Vegan Dalgona Coffee business venture may be

risky; however, its health benefits are much higher than non-vegan produce. By this, vegan
drinks lead to a lower BMI (Body Mass Index), which results in a reduced risk of obesity. Many

health gurus and fitness instructors recommend going for vegan drinks throughout the day to lose

weight as it is convenient without giving consumers extra fat from animal-based milk products.

It is also beneficial for the heart, helps animal growth, and is readily available (Vegan Drinks,

n.d.).

Creating a business out of the idea would enable the researchers to discover new concepts

and twists on the food products that will fit according to the health needs of the target market. It

will be necessary to study this topic since it will allow the researchers and future researchers to

study the food interests of the target market. It could also provide several versions and ways of

serving food. This paper will resolve whether veganism and the food trending on the internet will

be a successful business venture. Moreover, the study could determine the profitability of

internet food trends as a business idea, how its popularity may influence the target market,

product ideas that will appeal to consumers' tastes and address the health concerns of the target

market.
Objectives of the Study

This study aims to understand the current consumption behavior of Dalgona coffee customers in

Tacloban City.

The study has the following specific objectives:

1. To determine the benefits provided by the purchase of Dalgona coffee to the customers in

Tacloban City.

2. To determine the individual preferences that influence the consumption behavior of

Dalgona coffee customers in Tacloban City.

3. To determine the marketing factors that influence the consumption behavior of Dalgona

coffee customers in Tacloban City.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to understand the current consumption behavior of Dalgona coffee customers in

Tacloban City.

The study aims to answer the following questions:

Main question: What are the factors that contribute to the market acceptability of a coffee shop in

Tacloban City?

Specific questions:

1. Why do you like coffee?

2. What are your favorite coffee variants and why?

3. How many times in a day do you drink coffee?

4. Is there any difference in the taste of coffee prepared at home against those sold in coffee

shops?

5. Can you describe the experience of drinking coffee at home and drinking coffee at a

coffee shop? Where do you prefer to drink and why?

6. What images do you see in advertisements which are connected to coffee shops?

7. Which of these marketing factors were influential to you in building these images and

why?

a. servicescape (overall service ambiance) of the coffee shop

 b. service personnel

c. coffee products

d. pricing

e. brand image

f. location

g. packaging

8. Do you like your coffee partnered with pastry or bread? If so, what pastry or bread would

you like to partner it with?

9. As of today, which is your favorite coffee shop? What are the factors that make you like

them?
Theoretical Framework

The study uses a marketing concept proposed by Philip Kotler. This theory was used to

study the business organization’s marketing task.

The theory or concept posits that businesses use marketing to determine which products

or services may be of interest to customers. Marketers take the responsibility of knowing the

clientele and eventually developing products or services based on what the latter need or want.

This assumption is also the foundation of this research. By understanding the product’s market

acceptability, we can identify aspects in marketing that are in need of development.

Figure 1. Core Concepts of Marketing