Yasunari Sawanoi owner and roaster of ABOUT US COFFEE in Kyoto, is the latest addition to CROWD ROASTER .

This time we bring you an interview with Sawanoi .

 

In his 20s, he was active in the apparel industry, but because his parents were self-employed, he always wanted to have his own store someday.

It was during this time that I discovered the world of specialty coffee.

 

Sawanoi felt that coffee was a way for her to express herself more than fashion, so she started Manabu at a Manabu school to open a coffee shop.

What fascinated me there was the "roasting" of coffee.

After graduating from Manabu College, he immediately opened his own home-roasting coffee shop, " ABOUT US COFFEE ."

 

Taking into consideration his age and other factors, Sawanoi decided to pursue his goal of opening his own restaurant and gain experience rather than spending time training at another restaurant.

Of course, while running his own store he continued to hone his skills, obtaining a Q grader certificate and winning the "Coffee Collection World Discover" competition.

 

We would like to share with you some stories from Sawanoi , who is researching every day to further deepen his roasting skills.

Originally, I worked in the fashion industry, but at the age of 30, I chose coffee as a job that would allow me to express my personality, and Manabu coffee at a Manabu school. When I first thought about opening my own business, I had no intention of roasting coffee.

 

However, since coffee was my main product, I wanted to gain some knowledge about roasting, so I took a roasting course at a school, and before I knew it, I had become fascinated with roasting.

Immediately after graduating, I opened a roastery cafe called " ABOUT US COFFEE " in Kyoto.

 

 

After obtaining his Q Grader certification, participating in many roasting study sessions and continuing to hone his skills, in 2022 he was able to win the "COFFEE COLLECTION WORLD DISCOVER" event, which discovers the world's best single-origin coffee, in his first appearance.

We value the diversity of coffee. We want to bring out the individuality of various coffees and have people with diverse tastes enjoy them. The name of the store reflects our belief that "US" is the main focus, including producers, baristas, and coffee lovers.

 

While each coffee bean has its own unique characteristics, when the evaluation items (flavor, sweetness, acidity, body, etc.) are quantified and put into a radar chart, I want to aim for a roast that maximizes the area, rather than making any one item stand out.

If the coffee is perfectly balanced and as delicious as possible, when you're drinking the liquid, it doesn't really matter who roasted it. That's the kind of coffee I want to roast.

However, roasting is the process of heating the beans produced by the producers to make them drinkable for consumers, and we believe that the most important thing is to preserve the potential of the raw beans.

The coffee I like is one that doesn't have any negative aspects due to the roasting process.

Ethiopia was the origin of my love for coffee, and it's the origin I used when I won the Coffee Collection, so I have a lot of sentimental attachment to it. Colombia is a coffee-developed country, and they have a wide range of coffees, from those that can be used daily to very unique ones, so I often deal with them.

 

 

Personally, I prefer light roast, but I see differences in people's tastes as an expression of diversity, which is what the name of our shop, "ABOUT US," is all about.

We roast coffee regardless of the country of origin, variety, process, or degree of roasting, and deliver the charm of coffee under the theme "Wish your happiness bloom, with a cup of bliss..."

Although I specialize in light roasts, I usually roast on all ranges!

I'm also looking forward to roasting beans that I haven't encountered yet in my own shop!

 

 

Thank you, Sawanoi !

Why not consider asking Sawanoi to roast your coffee at CROWD ROASTER ?