This month’s #KurasuPartnerRoaster is COFFEE TO (“トーコーヒー” in Japanese) in Tokushima. With the concept of “Delivering light roast from Tokushima,” COFFEE TO is a cozy coffee stand that serves coffee that keeps a good company with people’s everyday life.
“To” in the name COFFEE TO has two meanings- one is a “to” in English, and the other is “と”, a Japanese particle spelled as “to”, which means “and” or “with”- that signifies how they value connections specialty coffee creates: between people, and the bond created between places, coffee, and people. The owners, Morita-san and Nishitani-san shared their story.
Back in the days when Morita-san was a student, he frequented a kissaten called coffee-an. Albeit not having a particular future plan of his own, Morita-san always yearned to help someone achieve their dream since he was a child. Finding coffee-an was a moment of revelation- he found beauty in a cup of coffee sitting in a warm light, in a cozy space coffee-an created, and it came naturally to him that he too wants to create such a space.
Morita-san started out as serving coffee-an’s coffee, but brewing their coffee right was not an easy feat- as he tried and tested, Morita-san found himself getting deeper and deeper into coffee. Since his interest expanded into coffee roasting, Morita-san would often roast by hand at home, and bring them to coffee-an’s master for advice.
Morita-san also started to serve coffee at events while studying for his degree, but the pandemic hit the world and there were less and less events to attend. But Morita-san felt that, more than ever, he can help people relax through coffee- with his wife, Nishitani-san, they rented a space to open a coffee stand. One year later, Morita-san graduated from a university, and opened COFFEE TO.
A cup of coffee that’s “tasty but for no particular reason” is what currently describes Morita-san’s coffee best, Morita-san says. “I’m aiming for coffees that have soft sweetness that embrace you at any occasion- not something eccentric or edgy,” explains Morita-san. Their philosophy is well-expressed in the coffee roasted by their trusty Diedrich.
COFFEE TO’s future vision is to encourage more people in Tokushima to join the specialty coffee industry. While there are many aspiring coffee people in big cities like Tokyo and Osaka, Tokushima is still behind the trend and job opportunities are scarce. “I want COFFEE TO to be a role model for opening a small business with specialty coffee, to create job opportunities, and to inspire and invigorate a new culture to grow in Tokushima,” Morita-san smiles. What we have in the bag for you this month is a new beginning of the coffee culture shaped and nurtured in the Tokushima and Shikoku area- enjoy and stay tuned for their bright future ahead.
