YKK and coffee? You may think YKK and coffee is a strange combination. But did you know that YKK in fact grows coffee beans in Brazil? In this installment of our “A Journey around YKK global Facilities Series” we take you all the way to the 1980’s in the Central Highlands region of Brazil.
The beginning stages:
In 1972, when YKK entered Brazil with its zipper business, inflation was rising sharply following the first oil crisis and poverty was rapidly increasing. Given the situation, YKK launched a coffee business in 1985 in order to contribute to the Brazilian society by reinvesting profit earned locally. Underpinning this is the belief of YKK’s founder Tadao Yoshida, who proposed that advancement into the fields of clothing, housing, and food are the foundation of business management.
Coffee production worksites contributed to local economic development by employing local residents and nurturing human resources through vocational training and the transfer of skills. From 2016, YKK began exporting coffee beans to Japan from YKK’s farm, and opened Café Bonfino, which roasts the coffee beans in-store. YKK’s dedication to producing delicious coffee beans has spread across national borders, with its coffee beans being given as a prize to winners in an international coffee fair held in 2017 in China.
Brazil + Coffee:
Coffee beans from Café Bonfino, named after Bonfinópolis, where the plantation is located, are grown in the Central Highlands region of Brazil. The unique climate of this region, which features both rainy and dry seasons, is an important key to the coffee’s success. Since it rarely rains during harvest time, the moisture from the rain does not damage the rich fragrance of the harvest. The beans are popular as a high-quality coffee with good sweetness, and have attracted increasing attention from around the world.
To provide conditions for a good coffee, YKK utilizes a large harvester, a bean-refining machine, and a drying factory.
Employees at Cafe Bonfino
About Café Bonfino coffee
The variety of coffee trees cultivated on this YKK plantation is type of Arabica coffee called Catuai, a Brazilian hybrid that combines both the strength of Mundo Novo and the productivity of Caturra. “Mundo Nuvo,” which means “New World,” is soft bodied and faintly bitter and is considered the highest class of coffee bean. Only the largest, ripest crimson cherries are delicately harvested from the carefully cultivated trees and selected by the wash method.
Café Bonfino Stores
You can enjoy a delicious cup of Café Bonfino at the following stores in Tokyo, Japan:
Cafe Bonfino Main Store
Address: Kamesawa, Sumida Ward, Tokyo 3-22-1 YKK 60 Building (annex)
TEL: 03-5610-8183
Business hours: Monday-Friday (10:00 – 17:30) Last Order: 17:00
Closed: Saturday, Sunday and Holiday
Cafe Bonfino Akihabara Store
Address: Kanda Izumi-cho 1 YKK 80 building in Robbie, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo
TEL: 03-3864-2005
Business hours: Monday-Friday (8:00-19:00) Last Order: 18:30
Closed: Saturday, Sunday and Holiday
Cafe Bonfino Passive Town
Address: 4016 Mikkaichi, Kurobe City, Toyama Prefecture
TEL: 0765-32-3099
Business hours: Saturday, Sunday (9:00-20:00) Last Order: 19:30
Stay on top of any news related to Café Bonfino:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cafe-Bonfino-YKK-Head-Office/169556459762871
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cafe.bonfino/
Read YKK’s manga episode about how Cafe Bonfino started: https://www.ykk.com/english/ykk/manga/index.html#&gid=4&pid=1
