A cup of coffee I came across by chance , changed my life.
What image comes to mind when you hear the words "Nihonbashi and Hamacho"?
The Meiji-za Theater, Hamamachi Park, Amazake Yokocho, and the Sumida River ... are the first places that come to mind. A town rich in nature and with a retro townscape. In this impressionable Hamamachi, stores with rich individuality are opening one after another.
Single O Hamamachi is one such shop we visited this time. Single O" is a pioneer store of third wave coffee in Sydney, Australia. The first flagship store in Japan was opened in October 2021.
The representative of Single O is Mr. Toru Yamamoto, who after seven years of experience in Sydney, his home country, launched Single O in Japan as a director. He recalls that his encounter with "Single O" was extremely coincidental.
In my mid-20s, I quit my job and went on a round-the-world backpacking trip with my now wife. . We set off with great enthusiasm, but after halfway around the world, we ran out of money. So, I decided to go to Australia, which I had decided was my final destination, and save up money for a working holiday.
. Then, I found a job opening on a job site for a dishwasher at "Single O." I had never worked in a café before and had no prior knowledge of "Single O." I was so excited that I decided to apply for the position. I had never worked in a café before and had no prior knowledge of Single O. . I had never worked in a café before, and I had no previous knowledge of Single O. Without knowing anything about it, I began my part-time life in a foreign country.
Since 2007, when Mr. Yamamoto started working at Single O, it had been so influential that it was selected as one of the top roasters by a Sydney guide magazine. The restaurant was always busy, and he spent many days running the dishwasher all day long. What kept Yamamoto motivated in this unfamiliar environment was a cup of coffee he was offered as bribe.
Even in the midst of my busy schedule, I looked forward to drinking the coffee that was served to me as bribe. Gradually, I began to think that I wanted to spread the taste of coffee in Japan. At the time, latte art was becoming popular, and I started practicing after work to learn how to make it first. Perhaps they recognized my attitude, and gradually I was entrusted with work as a barista.
. After that, I was put in charge of the kitchen as well. After that, I was in charge of the kitchen," he said. "At the same time that I was learning all the work in the café, I asked my boss about expanding the business to Japan. He said, 'If you can't start from roasting, there is no point in doing it in Japan. And so began my days of study. I was put on the quality control team and learned about roasting from the ground up.
After 3 years of training, he opened his first overseas roasting shop, Single O Japan, in Ryogoku, Japan, in 2014. With the opening of coffee festivals and wholesaling to the casual dining restaurant "bills," the company gradually gained recognition in Japan. While the business in Japan began to take off, in 2017, the company also started operating a coffee stand on weekends only, in order to open up the space to local residents as well.
Four years later, in 2021, the long-awaited flagship store "Single O Hamacho" will open.
