Visit to Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo

On January 15, participants of the Overseas Study Seminar I (Seattle, USA) visited Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo. During the visit, in addition to a guided tour of the roastery, they engaged in lively exchanges of ideas and discussions from both Japanese and US perspectives on Starbucks’ history, supply chain and sustainability with Mr Osamu Murakami, Division Manager of Supply Chain Management, Mr Hitoshi Chihara, Senior Specialist and baristas Mr Takahiro Sugawara and Ms Haruka Togawa.

Dean and Professor Takamichi Hosoda, Associate Professor Yuta Hirose, Assistant Professor David Nichols and Assistant Ms Kayoung Kim also accompanied the group and participated in the discussions together with the participants.

Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo opened in Nakameguro in 2019. With four floors, it highlights a deep appreciation for quality, craftsmanship and service rooted in Japanese culture, offering a space and experience where visitors can explore, discover and enjoy coffee from roasting to brewing through all five senses.

This visit was carried out as a preparatory initiative for the planned visit to Starbucks’ headquarters in Seattle in 2026. The opportunity was made possible through the introduction of Mr Hitoshi Chihara, an ABS alumnus and Senior Specialist, and with the generous cooperation of all those involved, it became a highly fruitful experience. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude. We hope that this visit will serve as a catalyst for further collaboration between ABS and Starbucks in the future.