This month's #KurasuPartnerRoaster is Coffee Port Ashiyahama Roastery in Hyogo. The store is located on a breezy seaside of Minami Ashiyahama, Ashiya City. The beautifully designed, white building complements the surrounding chic landscape of the town, just like how their coffee is a part of the lives of the people in this town.
The owner, Ogawa-san, hopes that her shop to be like a port of Ashiyahama to people- somewhere people come home to, and energized by her coffee. We interviewed Ogawa-san at her beautiful café’s counter with a view of the ocean from the window.
Before opening her shop, Ogawa-san worked at a confectionery store in Kyoto. “I was always interested in culinary art, but as I learned more about coffee partially through my husband’s work at a green beans importer company, more I was intrigued by how varied in flavors and expressions a single raw ingredient allows,” says Ogawa-san. She always preferred to master one thing rather than handling multiple ingredients, and coffee was just perfect. She attended L'Ecole Vantan in Osaka to learn necessary skills as a barista and opened Coffee Port Ashiyahama Roastery at the current location.
As a roaster, Ogawa-san focuses on selecting, roasting, and brewing green coffee beans that cater the customer's taste preferences and desired flavor. “I have certain flavor I want in mind when I purchase and roast. I have set flavor for each origin, and by having a wide variety of flavors to offer, I can always offer something that matches for every customer”, she smiles. On our visit for the interview, there were about 14 different coffees on the shelf, ranging from light roast to dark, each a flavor mapping ensuring anyone who visit find a coffee to their liking.
Through her work of making Coffee Port Ashiyahama Roastery a “port” for the locals, the shop has also come to serve coffee roasters and baristas in Japan. Ogawa-san’s story of opening a shop of her own starting with no experience alone inspires many, but Ogawa-san continues to share and inspire by hosting workshops and seminars inviting guests from overseas. “Getting the right knowledge gives you the common language to talk about coffee,” says Ogawa-san. With her own experience of learning coffee, she offers opportunities for others to also learn practical and correct knowledge.
Ogawa-san’s devotion for the coffee and the connection with people over the years have created a gentle tide, reaching and touching many who visit this calming seaside café.
