Starbucks is one of the coffee chains with numerous stores around the world. Not to mention the high quality of the coffee served, with its extensive menu, cozy atmosphere, and friendly service from the staff (partners), it is a place loved by many as a "third place" that makes you want to visit every day.
When you think of Starbucks, images of "coffee" and "tea" come to mind, but did you know that Japanese wine is also offered?
Furthermore, that wine comes from Hirakawa winery in Yoichi Town, Hokkaido, which enjoys overwhelming support from Japanese wine fans.
Why does Starbucks serve Hirakawa winery, and what is the significance of offering Japanese wine in the first place?
This time, we spoke with Masaki Ishimura, Beverage Development Manager at Starbucks Coffee Japan, Ltd., about why Starbucks serves Hirakawa winery and Japanese wine.
In the first part, we will share the reasons why Starbucks serves wine and the background behind the introduction of Hirakawa winery.
Delivering Wine Derived from Agricultural Produce, Just Like Coffee, Through "Starbucks' Sense"
Hirakawa winery's wine is served at the 2019-opened "Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo" (hereinafter Roastery)'s "ARRIVIAMO™ BAR (Arriviamo Bar)."
The Roastery is a store with an on-site roastery, one of only 5 such stores in the world. The 1st floor mainly serves coffee at "STARBUCKS RESERVE® (hereinafter Starbucks Reserve)," the 2nd floor mainly serves tea at "TEAVANA™ (hereinafter Teavana)," the 3rd floor offers alcoholic beverages such as cocktails at "ARRIVIAMO™ BAR (hereinafter Arriviamo Bar)," and the 4th floor consists of the event space "AMU TOKYO".
It also offers a wide selection of coffee beans, tea leaves, merchandise, and food, including items from the Milanese Italian bakery "Princi".
It is a special store packed with all of Starbucks' devotion, where you can experience the brand's passion and innovation.
Ishimura: "Starbucks is a coffee shop aiming to provide customers with a rich time in various settings as their 'third place.' Coffee is merely one approach to achieving this, and the Roastery in Nakameguro symbolizes that philosophy.
We develop products with the desire to offer enjoyment beyond the realm of coffee throughout the entire building, including bars serving coffee, tea, and alcohol."
Why does Starbucks, a coffee shop, also serve wine at the "Arriviamo Bar"? Mr. Ishimura says there is a common thread: both are "derived from agricultural produce."
Ishimura: "Coffee and wine share many commonalities, such as origin, climate, terroir, the producer's philosophy, and differences in flavor profiles due to grape or bean variety. Furthermore, both coffee and wine are foods derived from agricultural produce.
We serve that wine not only by the glass, but also as cocktails. Combining the wine's backstory and craftsmanship with the skills of the bartenders at Arriviamo Bar, we want to deliver it as an 'experience' with a sense that is uniquely Starbucks.
We would be delighted if our customers could feel that 'Starbucks touch.'"
Wanting to Convey Japan's Wonderful Wine to Many People
The wines served at "Arriviamo Bar" are centered around "Italian wine."
Because Starbucks founder Howard Schultz was inspired by Italian espresso culture, which led to expanding the chain in the US; because Arriviamo (ARRIVIAMO) is an Italian word representing the concept of sharing Italian culture; and because it offers items from the Italian bakery "Princi" and aperitivo, an element of Italian food culture—we consider the Arriviamo Bar to have a high affinity as a space for promoting Italian culture.
Why, then, does the "Arriviamo Bar," which promotes "Italian" culture, offer Japanese wine?
Ishimura: "At Roasteries around the world, there is a mission to feature local products from that 'land.'
The country we live in has wine of wonderful quality called 'Japanese wine.' That is precisely why we started this initiative—out of a desire to communicate Japanese wine to many customers through us."
Mr. Ishimura says that precisely because customers visiting Starbucks are not necessarily wine experts, he wants to share that "there is such wonderful wine in Japan."
Having Japanese wine featured at Starbucks, especially at influential stores like the Roastery, seems to be an important approach to growing the fanbase of wine.
Affinity Between Starbucks and Hirakawa winery
At "Arriviamo Bar," it is said that several Japanese wine options were offered even before introducing Hirakawa winery.
How did they come to serve Hirakawa winery?
Ishimura: "My impression is that there are many small-scale winery in Japan. Since Starbucks requires a certain level of supply capacity, we first started by searching for winery that could clear that hurdle.
On top of that, showing the face of the producer, crafting wine with a philosophy, high quality, cost considerations... winery that meet all these criteria are limited in number.
Among them, Hirakawa winery was introduced to us by a liquor merchant we work with. This was the catalyst for us meeting Mr. Hirakawa."
The owner of Hirakawa winery is Atsuo Hirakawa, a charismatic winemaker who is both a vigneron (grape grower and winemaker) and a sommelier.
Mr. Ishimura and his team reportedly personally visited the winery in Yoichi Town, Hokkaido, to learn about Mr. Hirakawa's winemaking.
Mr. Ishimura broke a sweat in the vineyard, participating in pruning, harvesting, and other tasks.
He says he was deeply moved watching Mr. Hirakawa's passion for viticulture and winemaking up close.
Ishimura: "Visiting Hirakawa winery and experiencing various tasks like pruning, I felt that the vineyard, the wine, and Mr. Hirakawa's character were all wonderful.
Mr. Hirakawa's attitude toward winemaking, his philosophy, the story embedded in each of the 1 bottles of wine, and the branding. Not to mention the high quality of the wine itself, I was deeply impressed by everything."
And Mr. Ishimura says he found a commonality in the strength of human connection.
Ishimura: "We at Starbucks are a brand that values human connection. When I actually participated in the grape harvest, fans of Mr. Hirakawa and many of his acquaintances came to help.
Mr. Hirakawa is someone who deeply cherishes human connections. In that, I felt a strong affinity with our own core concept of 'Connect.'"
Elegantly Refined Wines with a Rooting Sense of Minerals
Mr. Ishimura was captivated by Mr. Hirakawa's intense passion for winemaking.
He says that across Mr. Hirakawa's wines, there is a common sense of "minerality."
Ishimura: "When I tasted Mr. Hirakawa's wines, of course the aroma and flavor of each were wonderful, but I consistently felt minerality. Personally, I felt that this was the taste of the soil, the taste of the terroir."
Furthermore, this nuance of minerality sensed in the wines of Hirakawa winery pairs excellently with the breads from "Princi," and he hopes people will experience this pairing.
Ishimura: "When I drank Mr. Hirakawa's wine, I felt an affinity with Princi's bread. For example, while stories about wine must be spoken to be communicated, pairing is an approach that can be understood without words.
I believe that having people enjoy the wine together with Princi's bread and feeling 'this is delicious' is also important for conveying Mr. Hirakawa's wine.
The story behind the wine, the producer's philosophy, the refinement, and the high affinity with Princi. This is why we at Starbucks serve Hirakawa winery."
Hoping You Will Taste It While Imagining the Terroir of Yoichi
Having met Starbucks, the wines he crafts are served in stores and delivered to many customers in the form of cocktails.
We asked Mr. Hirakawa where Hirakawa winery resonated with Starbucks and how he would like customers to enjoy the cocktails.
Hirakawa: "I resonated with their craftsmanship driven by a professional spirit, and their endless drive to create the highest quality.
I also resonated with how they cherish the climate, soil, and natural elements where raw ingredients are grown as they pursue flavor.
And these cocktails were born by combining wine with Starbucks' philosophy. The cocktails encapsulate the scenery of Yoichi's Hirakawa Farm.
Please taste them while imagining the terroir of Yoichi."
References
Interviewee
Masaki Ishimura, Beverage Development Manager, Starbucks Coffee Japan, Ltd.
Beverage Development Manager (Joined Year 2019, Month 2)
STARBUCKS RESERVE® ROASTERY TOKYO