More than an event or a campaign, Starbucks Philippines is recognizing women’s work and ensuring that the next generation of artists has the support they deserve.
Starbucks Philippines is celebrating International Women’s Month with #StrongLikeCoffee, a campaign that brings together art, storytelling, and community. This campaign highlights the power of women in creative fields while supporting youth education.
Anina Rubio, Tara Soriano, Alab Pagarigan, Aze Ong
On February 28, the Starbucks Abad Santos Community Store hosted a talk featuring Filipino artists who have transformed Starbucks spaces with their murals and artwork. The event brought together Anina Rubio, Aze Ong, Tara Soriano, and Alab Pagarigan, who shared their experiences, creative journeys, and the impact of art in their lives. Young artists from Starbucks’ nonprofit partners: Young Focus Foundation, AHA! Learning Center, and Mano Amiga were also part of the conversation, gaining insight into the challenges and triumphs of working in the art industry.
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Breaking barriers
The artists reflected on their experiences navigating a creative world that often favors men.
Rubio never planned to be an artist. She studied engineering and worked in the corporate world, believing that was the only stable path. But she felt something was missing. “I was really stressed. I realized that I forgot to play.” She turned to calligraphy and painting, rediscovering creativity and self-expression.
For Ong, recognition did not come easily. She works with fiber art, a medium often dismissed as “women’s craft” rather than fine art. “Nobody thought fiber art is known as craft. You make bags, you make prints, you make clothing. And people thought that whoever made those, it’s the grandmother’s time. Imagine in 2010, I was starting, and I was asking if I could have a show, and they would say, ‘You’re not doing art.’” Despite initial rejection, she persisted, and now her crocheted installations are part of the contemporary art world.
Pagarigan, one of the few male artists in the campaign, grew up surrounded by women who shaped his view on art. His mother was the backbone of his father’s career as a painter, ensuring that his work was seen and supported. “My dad is a painter… but during the ‘90s, early 2000s, there was no social media. My dad was really struggling to sell his paintings. So I saw my mom, she was so patient with my dad. And growing up, I realized it’s really hard to choose art as a career. But I really loved it.”
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Soriano, whose career has spanned architecture, gemology, painting, and sculpture, reflected on how women are often expected to stick to one discipline. “I feel like I was very inclined to doing art… I was lucky to have a lot of exposure to galleries and museums, and that accessibility helped keep my soul inspired and to continue.”
“This International Women’s Month, we celebrate those who uplift and inspire,” said Jamie Silva, senior marketing manager at Starbucks Philippines. “By bringing together talented Filipino artists and youth from our Community Store nonprofit partners, we’ve created a space for dialogue and empowerment. We believe that art, like coffee, connects us, sparks creativity, and inspires positive change.”
More than an event or a campaign, this is about recognizing women’s work and ensuring that the next generation of artists has the support they deserve through art, through mentorship, and through conversations like this.
Art that gives back
The campaign goes beyond conversation. Starbucks also launched #StrongLikeCoffee notecards, designed by the artists and available exclusively at Starbucks Community Stores. A portion of the proceeds will go toward youth education programs through Starbucks’ nonprofit partners.
As part of the campaign, Starbucks released limited-edition notecards featuring designs by the artists, each one reflecting their unique perspective as a creator and a woman.
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The notecards are now available, with proceeds benefiting youth education through Starbucks’ nonprofit partners.
