To launch your own coffee brand in Tokyo, lock in permits, supply, roast profile, and sales channels before you sign a lease. Confirm requirements with your ward’s health center: a Restaurant Business Permit if you serve drinks; manufacturing/processing approval if roasting or packaging; and a designated Food Hygiene Manager on staff. Secure green coffee via established importers in Japan or shared containers, start with 30–60 kg lots to validate demand, and build a pour-over–first lineup (clean medium-light roasts for clarity) in 200 g bags plus single-serve drip bags. Equip efficiently: a Fuji Royal 5–15 kg roaster, EK43 for production grinding, a Fuji Impulse nitrogen-flush sealer, humidity-controlled storage, and one-cup brew bars (Hario/V60) for tastings. Use bilingual labels compliant with Japan’s Food Labeling Act—product name, net weight, best-before, storage, origin, and your address—add roast date, grind guidance, brew ratio, and a QR for traceability. Launch distribution with pop-ups at Aoyama Farmers Market and the Tokyo Coffee Festival, sell DTC on Shopify (or BASE/STORES) and marketplaces (Rakuten, Amazon), and wholesale to bakeries and offices in Marunouchi/Nihonbashi; OEM drip-bag runs make strong corporate gifts. Enable Suica/PASMO and PayPay, ship Yamato within 48 hours of roast in valve bags, and target Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, Nakameguro, or Shimokitazawa for specialty footfall. Price beans at ¥1,200–¥2,200/200 g; drip bags ¥150–¥300.
