Play Cafe Masterclass
PLAY CAFÉ MASTERCLASS
Thinking of opening a play café but don’t know where to begin?
The Play Café Masterclass is a practical, hands-on learning experience designed for aspiring play café owners, entrepreneurs, educators, and anyone who wants to create a meaningful business where children play, families connect, and learning happens naturally.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Barista Training
Get introduced to the fundamentals of café operations and hands-on barista skills, including basic coffee preparation, beverage making, café workflow, equipment, and service essentials.
Play Business Essentials
Learn what it takes to build and operate a play business, including:
- Understanding the play café concept and business model
- Designing your play space and choosing the right equipment
- Creating age-appropriate play experiences
- Safety, cleanliness, and child-friendly operations
- Staffing and daily operations
- Packages, pricing, and revenue streams
- Customer experience and parent engagement
- Marketing and building your community
- Basic systems and processes for smooth operations
From Concept to Operations
Understand how the different pieces come together—from defining your concept and identifying your market to designing the customer journey and creating an experience families will want to return to.
MORE THAN JUST A BUSINESS
This masterclass will help you understand both sides of the business, the café and the play experience so you can build a space that is not only commercially sustainable but also purposeful and child-centered.
Come with an idea. Leave with a clearer vision, practical knowledge, and the confidence to take your first steps toward building your own play café.
Inclusions:
Lunch, snacks, hands-on training, certificate, hand outs, sponsored products
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Gibwinli S. Manansala, LPT
With over 17 years of experience in early childhood education, our founder leads the operations and curriculum of Una Casita, ensuring that every program reflects the highest standards of quality, innovation, and play-based learning. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, graduating Cum Laude from De La Salle University–Manila in 2009, and further specialized in literacy through a Diploma in Language and Literacy Education from the University of the Philippines Open University. She is a Licensed Professional Teacher and holds a Primary Years Programme (PYP) Certification from the International Baccalaureate.
Throughout her career, she has served as a lower-grade teacher in international schools, a private tutor, trainer, educational consultant, and part-time consultant for a well-known multinational personality development institution specializing in children and preteens. She is also a founding member of a professional education organization at De La Salle University–Manila and the Founder and Consultant of an educational tours program.
Beyond her work in early childhood education, she is a passionate trainer and advocate for women's empowerment through education, technology, and workforce development. She has trained and mentored women from underserved communities, equipping them with practical, job-ready skills that open pathways to meaningful employment and economic independence. Through her work, she believes that education is a powerful tool for creating opportunities, strengthening families, and transforming communities.
Today, she oversees Una Casita's daily operations, curriculum development, and educator training, ensuring that every child receives a nurturing, developmentally appropriate learning experience. Guided by her passion for excellence, innovation, and lifelong learning, she continues to inspire educators, support families, and empower future school leaders to create meaningful and lasting impact through early childhood education.
Michaella Francesca T. Flores, LPT
With over 18 years of professional experience spanning education, leadership, business development, and corporate management, our founder brings a unique blend of academic excellence and operational expertise to Una Casita. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, graduating Magna Cum Laude from De La Salle University–Manila in 2008, and later completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Management at De La Salle University–Manila. She is a Licensed Professional Teacher whose career reflects a commitment to both educational excellence and organizational leadership.
She began her career as a lower-grade teacher in an international school, where she also served as Student Council Teacher Adviser and Yearbook Committee Head, demonstrating her passion for student leadership and school community building. Beyond the classroom, she has worked as a private tutor, part-time consultant for a well-known multinational personality development institution specializing in children and preteens, and a sales trainer dedicated to developing high-performing teams.
Her corporate career includes serving as Batch Valedictorian and Trainer for a multinational pharmaceutical company before advancing to become Country Manager of a multinational organization, where she led business operations and managed the Philippine market. These leadership experiences have strengthened her expertise in strategic planning, business growth, team development, customer experience, and operational excellence.
At Una Casita, she oversees business strategy, partnerships, and organizational growth, ensuring that the center continues to provide exceptional educational experiences while building a sustainable and purpose-driven organization. With a strong belief that quality education and effective leadership go hand in hand, she is passionate about mentoring teams, developing future leaders, and creating meaningful opportunities that positively impact children, families, and communities.
Larry Lloyd Andrada
Head Barista, OTO
MONIN Coffee Creativity Cup Philippine Champion
MONIN Coffee Creativity Cup Asia-Pac 2nd Runner-Up
Larry started his coffee journey back in 2010 when he became a barista at Café Alfresco. A few years after he was able to join Toby Estate, Caravan Black and now he is the head barista at OTO. Larry has wide experience also in competitions where he joins different categories in various coffee competitions. These competitions brought him a lot of opportunities in the industry as he shares his talent and expertise especially to those who are new to the world of coffee.
His achievements in coffee competitions for the past years were:
Champion, La Marzocco Linea Mini Showdown 2024
3rd Place, MONIN COFFEE CREATIVITY CUP 2023 ASIA-PACIFIC FINALS
Champion, MONIN COFFEE CREATIVITY CUP 2023 PHILIPPINES
2nd Place, PHILIPPINE AEROPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2015
2nd place, PHILIPPINE AEROPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2014
3rd Place, PHILIPPINE BARISTA CHALLENGE 2013
4th Place, PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BARISTA CHAMPIONSHIP 2013
3rd Place, PHILIPPINE GRAND BARISTA CUP 2012
Finalist, PHILIPPINE BARISTA CUP 2011
He also was also invited to judge in various coffee competitions. He also conducts seminars and workshops on coffee, coffee mocktails, and coffee cocktails where he is passionate on sharing his coffee journey and the things that he has learned throughout his career.