This month’s #KurasuPartnerRoaster is Seven Years Coffee from Tokyo, a coffee stand that opens only on weekends in a local neighborhood along the Tokyu Setagaya Line running through a quiet residential area. There, you’ll find a good range of everyday coffee and some playful, bold selection for a bit of fun. How did Hashimoto-san, the owner, come to serve his quality coffee in a cozy place, but in this particular style? We asked Hashimoto-san to share his“seven years” of journey and more.
Hashimoto-san first stepped into the world of coffee when he was a university student. From the early age, Hashimoto-was was attracted to cafes’ nature of being a third place for people. Between his studies, Hashimoto-san worked at a local cafe which happened to serve specialty coffee, even including CoE and Geisha in their lineup. Meeting other staff members who would compete at JBCs and such also inspired Hashimoto-san greatly.
After graduation, he worked at Ogawa Coffee in Kyoto for about six months before moving to Tokyo to join GOOD COFFEE Co., Ltd. which operates coffee media and cafes. He worked as a barista at All Seasons Coffee in Shinjuku, Tokyo for one year and as a manager/roaster at their new store for two years. He then opened his own coffee shop, Seven Years Coffee, in April 2021- since his early days in his career at All Seasons Coffee, Hashimoto-san has been staying loyal to Diedrich to roast.
It took him exactly 7 years from his first encounter with coffee to becoming independent. During these 7 years, coffee became the core of Hashimoto-san’s life, and through coffee he received so much- meeting new people and learning from them. To always be true to his roots, remembering why he’s doing this, and to pay forward, Hashimoto-san named his shop Seven Years Coffee.
During the week when he does not open the coffee stand, Hashimoto-san focuses on roasting, training wholesalers, and lecturing at seminars. For the future, Hashimoto-san is planning to stay on course but to expand his cafe, offering a cozy and friendly third place to more people. Hashimoto-san’s coffee gives out this warm, kind vibe that embraces his whole journey- a kind of coffee that’ll be there for you, on your good days and bad.
