And yet optimism prevailed as demand for coffee increased with rising incomes. By 2010, retailers were making the most of the Filipino’s need for the brew. According to a study conducted by Washington-based Duke Center for Global Value Chains, the decade saw the proliferation of a younger generation of Filipinos preferring to consume convenient instant coffee to get their daily dose of caffeine. Meanwhile, wealthier Filipinos, particularly in the urban areas, supported the emergence of a specialty coffee sector hence the proliferation of brands such as Starbucks, UCC, and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, as well as small local coffee shops.