DAIKI HATAKEYAMA

Special Interview with

DAIKI HATAKEYAMA

Japan Hand-Drip Championship 2019 - Champion
Japan Brewers Cup 2019 - Champion
World Brewers Cup 2021 - 2nd place

Host by SHIGEJI NAKATSUKA

The champion of the JHDC 2019 (Japan Hand-Drip Championship) and the JBrC 2019 (Japan Brewers Cup) is the same man, Mr. Daiki Hatakeyama of “Bespoke Coffee Roasters”. This is the great work of him and he is the first man who achieved two crowns!!
And more, to our joy, Mr. Hatakeyama went into the championships by using CAFEC products.
This time, the CEO of Sanyo Sangyo, Mr. Nakatsuka have an interview with him and hear about all coffee story of him.
*After this interview, he won second place in World Brewers Cup 2021.

A little job request
changed my life dramatically.

A little job request changed my life dramatically.
  • Hatakeyama

    I used to work as a company employee, but for some reason I quitted my job once and intentionally made time to do nothing; I spent almost all my time in home. One day, I was asked to go to one coffee shop to buy coffee where my parents love to go, at that time I never dreamed this opportunity became the beginning for me to meet a real coffee!
    I became more and more interested in coffee itself while visiting the roaster many times and having talks with them. Though I was still a layman about coffee, but I felt the taste and the quality of the coffee served by them was clearly different from normal coffee on the market. I really like delicious food and beverage so I thought I already knew what the deliciousness is, but the taste was very shocking to me. Then I knew first that coffee is really profound. After that I started to brew hand-drip coffee by myself, then I become to like coffee more and more.
    On one occasion, the café owner told me about their new shop and invited me to join them. This was my first chance to enter in this coffee world.

  • Nakatsuka

    I was not so interested in coffee either when I was a student, so what I always ordered at café was a mixed juice, hahaha...
    But since about ten years ago, a higher quality coffee named Specialty coffee has become popular in Japan. Though I was already in the coffee world at that time, but I knew the real coffee first after meeting with the Specialty coffee.

“Custom-made” coffee to value
each customer’s preference.

“Custom-made” coffee to value each customer’s preference.
  • Nakatsuka

    First you were shocked by one cup of coffee roasted at the cafe where your parents loved to visit, then you started to roast beans by yourself. Like this, your interest in coffee intensified step by step, right?

  • Hatakeyama

    First of all, I thought what is needed for my best coffee? As the answer, I decided to start roasting by myself. Of course, I do not deny to get roasted beans from other one, but in order to make my own best coffee, I thought it is better to roast beans by myself.
    It is always my motivation “want to brew amazing coffee” and “want to enjoy my best coffee”. Once I roasted well and brewed out a good coffee, next I came to want someone to enjoy my coffee.

  • Nakatsuka

    The coffee, roasted by myself and brewed by myself is the best, right?
    Coffee is a favorite item so I do not think there is only one right way; I think everyone shall has their own theory.
    Please tell me what YOUR best coffee is?

Seized glory
after fighting for three years.

Seized glory after fighting for three years.
Seized glory after fighting for three years.

You can enjoy coffee
as you like!

You can enjoy coffee as you like!
  • Nakatsuka

    Lastly, would you please let me know what you expect for CAFEC if you have any?

  • Hatakeyama

    I want you not to change anything; that is, want you to continue to care for manufacturing good things.

  • Nakatsuka

    The catch-copy of CAFEC is “Happiest smile over coffee ahead of there”. What I mean by “ahead of there” is “at home”. I want to help people to enjoy life with delicious coffee at home, to have a happy time with family with coffee. It does not need to be the coffee itself. For example, how about enjoying brewing itself? Brewing by measuring temperature with thermometer, or with scale? Trying different brewing way? Or roasting by youself? I think it is fun to know its process one by one. I always continue to think about what products we shall develop to see “happiest smile” of people.
    At our restaurant “Hyakuzen-no-yume” and the café “Youmeca”, all the coffee served to guests are brewed by hand-drip, not by coffee machine no matter how busy we are. If you enjoy delicious coffee at a restaurant and a cafe, I think you may want to enjoy coffee at home too, right? Though it may be steady and slow effort of us, but I hope much more people can enjoy coffee at home in the future too.