This July 2024’s #KurasuPartnerRoaster is Days Coffee Roaster in Niigata. We interviewed the owner, Shirai-san, to learn more about his journey and his vision to “light up the passion in people, encourage encounters and grow the coffee community and enrich people’s lives.”
Shirai-san’s first memorable coffee moment goes back to his highschool days. He was working part time at a local kissaten, and on his last day there the master suggested Shirai-san should try serving coffee. That was Shirai-san’s origin moment of serving coffee to his family and friends, connecting people with conversation and good cups of coffee.
While that memory lives strong in Shirai-san’s mind until today, the next time his path crossed with the coffee industry was when he was 23. After leaving a university in Tokyo before graduation, Shirai-san gained experience in the food and beverage industry for a while before he knocked on the doors of a major coffee wholesaler in Niigata. Worked as a store manager for 3 years, he was appointed as a head of their new roastery.
As he gains professional roasting experience, at the age of 30 Shirai-san rented an izakaya (small tavern) space from a friend, and started Days Coffee Roaster as his side business. About 6 months in, an offer arrived- an invitation to join the new shop complex/SOHO. The offer was for Shirai-san as an individual, not as an employee of the company he was working back then. Taking that as a sign that Shirai-san is ready to grab the opportunity, he joined the complex and opened Days Coffee Roaster there.
Shirai-san learned how to roast at Motoi Coffee in Osaka, inspired by Suzuki-san in Glitch Coffee Roasters, and deepened his understanding attending seminars by Nakamura-san of Mame Polepole. After roasting with Probat and Fuji Royal, Shirai-san settled on Lucky Coffee Machine’s direct flame roasting machine. “There are certain tastes that only a direct flame machine can bring out. It helps the beans to express its fruitiness, rich sweetness, and the unique characteristics”, Shirai-san explains.
At Days Coffee Roaster, Shirai-san offers samples of all of the coffee they have for sale. Some people visit the shop looking for dark roast, and leave falling in love with their light roast. Continue to be on his mission of growing community through cuppings and workshops, Shirai-san recently opened his second shop, Innovative Co., where people can experience rare crops and latest processes. If you are in Niigata, do visit them to feel their passion for coffee in person.
