Pivoting to Hong Kong: KOFFEE MAMEYA brings coffee lovers an experience unlike any other

Coffee lovers in Asia are no stranger to OMOTESANDO KOFFEE, Eiichi Kunitomo’s once-elusive Tokyo cafe. After Kunitomo and owner and managing director Russell Stradmoor expanded OMOTESANDO's reach and evangelism of artfully brewed coffee to new locations in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and London, the Japanese cafe and its bespoke cube-shaped coffee bar have become a destination for those seeking an exemplary cuppa.

And for those in search of a truly unique coffee experience, OMOTESANDO's sister brand KOFFEE MAMEYA officially opened in Hong Kong this past September, setting up shop in a beautifully minimal location behind the OMOTESANDO KOFFEE shop in Kowloon’s K11 Musea. Like a speakeasy for rare and flavourful beans, customers can sample blends and single-origin pours of some of the most interesting brews from around the globe, with options exclusive to Hong Kong selected by Eiichi Kunitomo himself.

With Hong Kong's coffee culture booming like never before, MARKETING spoke with Russell Stradmoor about bringing MAMEYA to Hong Kong, what he's learned about the local coffee consumer, and to give us the inside scoop on the most one-of-a-kind coffee experience in the region.

MARKETING: In your words, how would you describe KOFFEE MAMEYA?
Stradmoor: KOFFEE MAMEYA simply translates to ‘beans shop’ in Japanese. The focus is definitely on the various coffee beans we source from producers and roasters around the world. At any time, our menu features between 20-25 selections — based on seasonality, taste profile, roasting level, and texture. Customers can select and taste different coffees based on their own preference. If customers are interested, they can also purchase these coffees. Our coffee sommeliers provide free one-on-one consultations on how best to brew the coffee at the comfort of your own home. It is quite the coffee experience.

What's the biggest misconception people have about coffee?
There are several in my opinion, but I think the main one we struggle with a little these days is the phrase ‘specialty coffee’. We tend to overuse the word so often that anything coffee nowadays, we refer to it as specialty or artisanal. From a business and marketing perspective, I can understand the advantages, but it just seems to devalue a word that was meant to represent a very specific grade and category of product within the coffee industry. Another misconception is the phrase “fresh coffee”. Good coffee served at its optimum level is never “fresh”. Roasted coffee requires anywhere from one week to even a full month of resting before it's good to drink. Coffee businesses should refrain from such phrases and should have the responsibility to educate their customers.

What made you want to bring MAMEYA to Hong Kong at this time?
We planned to bring MAMEYA overseas on the back of the success of our Tokyo outlet. The decision was made seven months prior to the first reported COVID cases, so we obviously didn’t see that coming. Though in retrospect, we believe it was the right decision. Despite the various challenges, coffee consumption is at an all-time high and new cafe trends continue to grow in Hong Kong. Having opened several OMOTESANDO KOFFEE outlets here, we felt it was the right moment to introduce a new coffee experience to the local audience. And when the opportunity to open our first outlet at K11 MUSEA came about, there was no looking back.

How has the response been? Do customers realize it’s back there behind the OMOTESANDO shop?
We expected the initial response to be on the slow side, for obvious reasons, and because we knew a fresh concept like this would require patience. It is down to not only on how we position ourselves, but how we educate and care for our customers. Despite the setbacks, we’ve slowly started to see some positives again from both new and returning customers. We achieved our highest weekend sales earlier in March, so there’s plenty of optimism between now and when the borders eventually open again.

We get all types of customers! The ones who have a reservation, can’t seem to locate our space at times. And the ones who have no intention of drinking any coffee somehow stumble upon us. Nevertheless, that was our intention, to create this atmosphere. We wanted to connect with our consumer through the element of surprise or through their mini-journey. Of course, we must then match the expectations with quality service and great coffee. All these factors contribute to the MAMEYA experience.

With OMOTESANDO KOFFEE you’ve had a bit of insight into the Hong Kong coffee consumer. What have you learned?
Compared to 2016, when we opened our first OMOTESANDO KOFFEE outpost in Wanchai, the local coffee consumer has definitely evolved. The Hong Kong people in general have always had very high standards when it comes to F&B and the same standards apply to coffee. Overall, they’re very knowledgeable and have strong expectations. Of course, many consumers are social media driven and trend focused nowadays as well, so it is up to us to strike the right balance in our offering.

How does the Hong Kong market differ from Japan in terms of coffee?
I believe Hong Kong has a very interesting demographic of coffee consumers. There are obvious influences from the U.K. / Europe. On the other hand, there are new wave influences and trends from countries like Japan and South Korea. Many of the new specialty coffee shops you see opening now carry these influences. As for consumption, we’ve seen more hand drip coffee orders with an added focus towards single origin, when it used to be more espresso-centric milk based coffees.

The Japanese coffee market has been relatively stable for some time, throughout the '90s and early 2000s. It was right around 2011-2012 when we saw the specialty coffee market really take off. Now most in the coffee industry would recognize Japan as one of the countries leading the way in third-wave coffee.

What do you look for in selecting a coffee?
Balance. Every good coffee has multiple characteristics and each have a role to play. Ultimately, it is how those characteristics come together to create a synchronized combination of flavors. From sweetness, acidity, bitterness, to the floral notes and the body. A unique coffee, when extracted properly, can really speak to you.

For KOFFEE MAMEYA, we try and cover all these aspects. When selecting coffees, it is important to remove any personal preferences or biases. We believe all coffees can be good with proper extraction methods, so we would never say if one coffee is better than the other. Ultimately, our goal is to identify a coffee that suits the customer.

If I’m a person who doesn’t know anything about coffee, what’s the first thing I should look for or notice in say, a geisha coffee bean vs. something from a mass market retailer?
That’s quite a range! While geisha coffees are graded higher and carry certain complexities / characteristics that perhaps a more mass market coffee wouldn’t have — that doesn’t mean mass market coffees aren’t good. In my opinion, I would even say that many mass market coffees are more suitable for everyday consumption. It’s like wine, having an affinity towards a Bordeaux or Burgundy, doesn’t make you any more or less of an expert. There’s really no right or wrong. A good wine from Napa or Auckland can be equally as enjoyable, depending on its distinct qualities. And that’s what makes KOFFEE MAMEYA interesting, not only for coffee lovers, but even the person trying coffee for the first time.

Do you have a personal favourite coffee region or style?
For a quick grab and go, I’d prefer a cold brew or macchiato. For filter coffees, I’m brewing a dark roast Guariroba from Brazil or a fruity and citrus El Paraiso from Colombia at home these days. I don’t particularly have a specific favourite, but I tend to prefer coffees with a bit more body. For me, I feel different coffees can be enjoyed based on your mood or even time of day. I guess in some ways, like you, I’m still searching for my favourite coffee.

“Pivoting to Hong Kong” is a series created with support from our partners at InvestHK. InvestHK’s vision is to strengthen Hong Kong’s status as the leading international business location in Asia. InvestHK works with overseas and Mainland entrepreneurs, SMEs and multinationals that wish to set up an office – or expand their existing business – in Hong Kong.