Osaka · Japan
Mel Coffee Roasters
Mel Coffee Roasters roasts in Osaka, Nishi-ku, Shimmachi.
Since 2016 · Masahiko Fumimoto, Rie Fumimoto
Overview
Mel Coffee Roasters opened on January 21, 2016 in an 8.58m² space in Osaka's Shimmachi district, founded by Masahiko Fumimoto and his partner Rie after Fumimoto walked away from an engineering career at one of Japan's largest car companies. The shop's name nods to Melbourne — where the founders first encountered specialty coffee — and its centerpiece is a 1968 Probat 5kg that Fumimoto chose deliberately over the Fuji Royal default and spent eighteen months overhauling.
Known for
- Big 7 Travel: 3rd in The 50 Best Coffee Shops in the World 2019; 2nd in Asia 2019
- 1968 vintage Probat 5kg — atypical choice in a Fuji Royal-dominated Japanese roaster scene
- Two-tsubo footprint — 8.58 m² — handling roasting, espresso bar and hand drip in one room
- Founder Masahiko Fumimoto served as Japan Hand Drip Championship judge in 2015 and 2016
- Modern Osaka outpost in Time Out Market Osaka
Why it matters
The reference Osaka specialty roaster — proof that a 2-tsubo neighborhood stand can compete on the world stage by combining Japanese precision with Melbourne-style hospitality.
Production
- head roaster
- Masahiko Fumimoto
- roaster machine
- Probat 5kg (1968 vintage, fully restored)
- roastery location
- Shimmachi, Nishi-ku, Osaka (in-shop)
Café
Shimmachi, Nishi Ward, Osaka
Recognitions
- Big 7 Travel — 50 Best Coffee Shops in the World #3 (2019)
- Big 7 Travel — Best Coffee Shops in Asia #2 (2019)