Kyoto Stand marked it's 8th birthday on August 11th. 8 years!
Started in 2016 only with 3 people not knowing what to expect, we've since then become a big team of 50 thanks to your love and support over the past years.
This year, we have welcomed many new faces in our team in Kyoto and opened more shops around the world- to embrace and celebrate that change happened in our journey, we set this year's anniversary theme based on our new path we pave and new friends we'll make along the way.
Our anniversary merch's concept is "Kurasu Mates."
A simple love for coffee connects people at Kurasu, and that circle of community is the very core of what we are, and what we will continue to be.
We have expanded our merch line, improving the quality of the T-shirt, and we designed a bandana along with the customized Carter Move Mug that received so much love last year with our new anniversary design.
Each item can be enjoyed and styled in so many different ways, just like our team with so many different and unique talents.
On our anniversary week between August 9th to 12th we hosted an event too.
During the event, we served our Kyoto Stand's anniversary special drink along with our global team's signature drinks they made for the occasion!
Kyoto Stand's drinks used the anniversary premium beans from Tanzania to make Premium Espresso Tonic, and Premium Espresso Gin & Tonic. 。
Kurasu Singapore sent in the recipe for Matcha Calpis Soda, Bangkok team came up with Tropical Bliss which is a lovely cocktail of espresso, orange juice and passion fruit syrup, and the team in Jakarta designed Matcha Honey Yuzu.
Each drink was so unique and we could see the teams' smiles every time we served them.
We were so grateful that there we so many who tried out all of the special drinks during the event week, coming back everyday!
Some, of course, did not know about the event but enjoyed the special drinks nonetheless, some came from Ebisugawa after hearing about the event, and we loved seeing people from all over the world enjoying conversations.
On the 11th we opened until night, with a DJ booth popping up after dark and we served alcohol as well. The blissful 4 days were filled with good people, good coffee, and good music- it was so much fun!
The most notable new thing we tried this anniversary is our "in-house" guest barista.Some of our members usually work in the office joined the baristas behind the bars to assist.
They received a thorough trainings from baristas, starting from how to make drinks, where things are, how to use the till, to Kurasu's philosophy on hospitality and how to communicate with our customers.
"It was such a multi-tasking!" some were coming back a little overwhelmed, but they were all in awe of seeing our baristas making their magics happen and working hard for it.
With their renewed respect for the cafe team, each of the "guest baristas" learned something from their experience to bring back to their work.
This is part of a trial program we are planning for our next stage- as a company, Kurasu has many people who do not get to work with coffee making and to communicate directly with our customers through their work.
To see where Kurasu started and feel the spirit of hospitality and Kurasu's identity first hand, and to experience team work with various approaches, we believe this new program can offer so much to our members.
The anniversary event was the work of so many and months of preparation- and we had so much fun! It was truly a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved to really think about the core questions: What is Kyoto Stand to Kurasu? What kind of future do we want to head to?
The Kyoto Stand remains the heart of Kurasu, where community is built over exceptional coffee, and where baristas and customers come together in meaningful conversation.
As Kurasu continues to evolve, focusing on sustainability and strong relationships with coffee producers, our 30m² Kyoto Stand will continue to represent who we are, sharing our love for coffee with the world.
Thank you so much for your continued support of Kurasu Kyoto Stand!
