About Kuroneko Coffee Roastery
Kuroneko Coffee Roastery is a small micro-roastery based in the tiny village of Shimanoshita, Furano, Hokkaido—home to fewer than 20 households.
As I often say elsewhere, my “real job” is actually as an acupuncturist. I started roasting coffee in April 2024, mostly as a hobby and a way to cut down on living costs. Initially, it was just for my personal use, but before I knew it, I was roasting in the backyard with a homemade direct-fire roasting machine. I took a food safety course, filed paperwork with the health department, and somehow, it all turned into an official business. (Oops!)
My roasting style is direct-fire, and I focus mainly on blended coffee. Inspired by Japan’s nostalgic café culture from the Showa to early Heisei era, I aim to recreate those deeply roasted, aromatic, bitter brews that defined that time. While I respect how much the coffee industry has evolved, I also want to hold onto the flavors of my youth. This blend of past and present, combined with the unique characteristics of my handmade roasting machine, is the heart of what I do.
Why “Kuroneko”?
The name is pretty simple and doesn’t have a deep story—our family cat is a “KURONEKO”(black cat), and my wife said, “Why not just name it after the cat?” It stuck.
The image of a black cat fit perfectly with the dark, full-bodied blends I wanted to make. (We used to have a tabby cat too, but now it’s just the black one. The tabby inspired a different blend.)
All of our products are named after cats in some way—just a fun little theme that grew naturally.
Philosophy on Roasting and Blending
At the core of everything is a simple reason: I just really like the bold, aromatic coffee you’d find in a retro Japanese café.
I roast using a handmade, direct-fire machine, which delivers a powerful and distinct heat unlike the gentle roasting suited for today’s specialty coffee. My roasting shed is exposed to the elements—temperatures often drop below -20°C in winter—which means I can’t maintain consistent temperatures during the colder months. That’s why I close during winter and try to run things in a way that doesn’t push beyond my limits.
Because of this environment, it’s difficult to recreate precise roast profiles consistently. I’ve learned that trying to imitate specialty roasters under these conditions just doesn’t work. Instead, I aim to highlight what my equipment can do best, and make it my own strength.
I focus on blends because I find the layered flavor they offer to be more interesting than single-origin coffees. I first fell in love with deep-roasted Mocha Matari in my student days, and that was the first bean I ever roasted. But with quality and supply of that bean becoming unreliable in recent years, I decided to experiment—blending different high-quality beans to recreate that memory. That experiment led to surprising success and became a foundation of my current style.
This roastery is shaped by environmental limitations, creative adaptation, personal experience—and let’s be honest, a tight budget. All of those things came together to form what it is today.
How the Roastery Came to Be
I actually only started home roasting very recently—in early 2024. I’ve had a long (and probably unhealthy) relationship with caffeine, and while I was always curious about roasting, I knew deep down that once I started, I’d go all-in. So I avoided it for a long time.
Then came the rising cost of living… and a mischievous friend who convinced me to try roasting green beans at home to save money. One thing led to another—I clicked “Buy” on Amazon—and sure enough, I fell headfirst into the world of roasting.
The roasting shed itself was once a kitchen trailer in Furano that had been retired due to age. That same mischievous friend asked if he could park it in our backyard “just temporarily.” Next thing I knew, it was in my name and became my workshop.
My roasting machine is a DIY direct-fire model, made from parts I picked up at a local hardware store. (More details available if you’re curious!) Industrial-grade machines were far out of my budget, and even the Fuji Royal sample roaster wasn’t practical due to its heat source. So I followed YouTube videos and blog posts and built my own—and surprisingly, it works great!
Starting with a 100g roaster from Amazon in April, I built a 1kg machine in May, set up the trailer and filed official paperwork in June, and opened my online shop in September. That kind of pace is… honestly ridiculous. Somehow I haven’t gone into the red, and while I’m not getting rich either, things are moving forward steadily—which even I find hard to believe.
It sometimes feels like I’ve been swept up in a strange whirlwind—but I’m still roasting, still going. (It’s kind of scary, honestly!)
Where Things Are Headed
Going forward, I plan to keep focusing on original blends made with my direct-fire machine. I’ve been encouraged by how many people have responded positively to my retro, Showa-style brews—coffees I initially just made for myself.
While I do have an interest in single origins and want to explore them more when my budget allows, I’ve learned that blindly chasing trends doesn’t work in my current environment. That’s why blend-based roasting will remain my main approach.
That said, I also plan to occasionally release limited-edition projects when I get my hands on interesting beans or feel inspired. At the same time, I want to provide coffee that’s suitable for daily drinking, so I’ll do my best to keep my offerings stable and accessible. (Though rising green bean prices make that a constant challenge…)
All in all, I plan to keep roasting at my own pace—without letting it interfere with my main job—and sharing my coffee with anyone who enjoys the ride.
Thanks for being part of this little journey.