BRANCH COFFEE|ブランチコーヒー

OUR STORY

愛媛という場所で

本店のある西条は四国山脈の頂である石鎚山の麓のまち。石鎚山系の湧き水は「うちぬき」と呼ばれ名水百選の一つです。道後温泉で有名な松山は文学の聖地。夏目漱石や正岡子規の息吹に溢れています。その郊外にひっそり佇む松山椿店は、コーヒー片手に読書を愉しむのに最適です。山の斜面や島々の斜面に広がるみかん畑の風景はコーヒー生産地を想起させ、たわわに実る柑橘が近年さまざまな品種改良がなされているのもコーヒーの世界とよく似ています。海・山・川という美しい自然に恵まれた環境のなかにお客様をお迎えできるこの土地の素晴らしさに感謝しつつ、今日という日を大切に、お店を開けてお待ちしております。

Branch Coffee, based in Ehime

Branch Coffee is based in Saijo city, Ehime prefecture, located on the island of Shikoku in southern Japan. Saijo city sits at the base of Mount Ishizuchi, the highest peak in Shikoku and the center of the Ishizuchi mountain range, which is the source of Saijo’s famous “uchinuki” spring water. Nearby Matsuyama city is home to Dogo Onsen, reputed to be the oldest hot spring in Japan. Matsuyama is also known for literary giants such as Natsume Soseki and Masaoka Shiki, which makes our Matsuyama Tsubaki coffee shop, quietly situated in the city suburbs, the perfect place to get cozy with a book and a cup of coffee. The mandarin oranges growing on the steep slopes of Matsuyama and its islands bring to mind scenes of coffee plantations, and the selective breeding methods used to produce abundant crops of citrus fruits are similar to the techniques now applied in the world of coffee. With its ocean, mountains and rivers, Ehime is a prefecture of uncommon scenic beauty, and it is with an indelible sense of gratitude that we serve our customers – today and every day – in a place so blessed by nature.

世界の生産地とダイレクトにつなぐ

コーヒーのおいしさを左右するのはやはり生豆の品質。わたしたちBRANCH COFFEEは中米、南米、アフリカへとじぶんたちの足で出向いて生産地を旅して回り、農場の方たちと想いを交わしながら直接買い付けます。時にそれはカップオブエクセレンス(COE)と認められた秀逸なものもあり。時にそれはCOEで順位づけされる前でも「これは素晴らしい」と感動したものであり。愛すべきそれらを農園の方たちが納得する価格で引き取らせてもらい、日本の、四国の、愛媛の、西条市の焙煎所に送り込み、宝石みたいな生豆たちを丁寧に焙煎しみなさまにお届けする…というのが、わたしたちの生業です。

Traveling the world
to connect with growers

A cup of coffee is only as good as the beans it comes from, which is why we at Branch Coffee travel to coffee-producing regions in Central America, South America and Africa to meet and form relationships with the farmers we buy directly from. Some of the coffees we buy are designated Cup of Excellence (COE) winners, while others are exciting finds that are equally remarkable, even without such designations. After purchasing these coffee beans at a fair price from the farmers who produce them, we send them back to Japan, to our roastery in Saijo city, Ehime prefecture. There we roast these coffee beans – these veritable jewels of the earth – to delicious perfection. We do this with pleasure and pride, for this, after all, is our calling.

スペシャルティの先の「感動」を

わたしたちBRANCH COFFEEが「スペシャルティコーヒー」と呼ばれる生豆の取り扱いをはじめたきっかけは2010年、「ケニア・カロゴト」という名のコーヒーに出会ったこと。飲むほどに爽やか、甘い酸味の心地よさ…!それはまるで未知なるものとの出会いのような衝撃的事件でした。それから10年を過ぎ、溢れるほど多くの「スペシャルティ」が存在する世の中になりましたが、その言葉にかつてわたしたちが受けた衝撃はありません。わたしたちが届けたいのは「スペシャルティ」という言葉ではなく、あの「おいしさ」。冷めても甘く爽やかな酸味の心地よさが持続するあの「感動」です。

The extraordinary
world of specialty coffee

Branch Coffee first began dealing in specialty coffee beans in 2010. That was the year we encountered Kenyan Karogoto coffee – and tasting this coffee was a revelation. It had a wonderfully bright and sweet acidity that only seemed to improve the more we drank it, and was unlike anything we had ever tasted before. Fast forward ten years, and now the world is awash in “specialty” coffees, so this term does not have the same impact that it once did. But what we seek to provide is not something that is “specialty” in name only, but coffee that delivers that extraordinary, memorable flavor. Coffee that – even after it has grown cool in your cup – retains that sweet, bright acidity, and leaves you with an appreciative sense of wonder.

透明度の高いアフターテイスト

コーヒーにはいつも旅の余韻が漂います。コーヒーを味わう時間のなかにその風景が浮かぶような、そんな旅をみなさまに感じてもらえたら、と願っています。BRANCH COFFEEは、新しい出会いのきっかけです。コーヒー世界の豊かな旅です。発見と驚きの連続です。濁りのない、渋みのない、苦味のない、アフターテイストの透明度の高さが自慢です。まだ未体験かもしれない、そんなおいしさのコーヒーとの出会い。どうぞお楽しみください。

A pure and clean aftertaste

In every cup of coffee, there is a journey to be tasted. The coffees that you savor should take you to new places, and be the doorway to new experiences. At Branch Coffee, we look forward to traveling with you through the world of coffee, on a journey replete with new encounters, discoveries, and surprises. One of the sensations awaiting you is the pure and clean aftertaste of our coffees – an aftertaste that is free of any cloudiness, astringency or bitterness. If this is a world you have yet to discover, we can’t wait to serve as your guide.