Japanese Domestic Coffee Beans Announce Pre-sale! As for the Price... At Least They're Not Sold by the Bean!

Japan's Historic Coffee Cultivation Breakthrough

What?! When did Japan become a coffee-producing region??? To understand this, we need to go back to last month when Yamako Farm in Okayama City, Japan, announced that their coffee trees not only survived but also flowered, bore fruit, and the coffee cherries were in the ripening stage. The farm's management stated that the coffee cherries would be harvested in February and made available for sale.

Perhaps for us, coffee trees bearing fruit might not seem extraordinary. But for the Japanese people, this represents a historic breakthrough, as it's the first time they've successfully grown coffee trees to maturity with a harvest on Japanese soil.

Due to the extremely cold natural environment on the Japanese islands during winter, such conditions are unfavorable for the growth and survival of coffee trees. Therefore, over the years, although the Japanese have conducted systematic research on coffee cultivation, they have not successfully grown coffee beans on their own territory. Much of their cultivation research has needed to utilize land in other countries, such as Taiwan, China.

The Greenhouse Solution

The ability to grow coffee cherries on Japanese soil this time comes at an extremely high cost because these coffee cherries were all grown in greenhouses. The management of Yamako Farm has long been researching the cultivation of tropical crops in Japan, such as pineapples and mangoes. These crops are not suitable for cultivation in cold regions, so the farm's management found Okayama City in southern Japan, which has a warm climate with longer daylight hours and higher winter temperatures compared to other regions.

Before planting coffee trees, the farm had already successfully cultivated tropical crops locally. Building on this previous experience, they embarked on another attempt at coffee cultivation in Japan. After so many years of persistent research in coffee cultivation, one cannot help but admire their never-give-up spirit. Seeing the cultivation succeed, regardless of other considerations, is truly a joyous occasion worth celebrating.

Pricing and Availability

When the news first broke, many enthusiasts were very concerned about the price of this batch of Japanese-origin coffee beans, as greenhouse cultivation plus rarity naturally draws attention to pricing. Today, Yamako Farm's official website launched pre-sales for this "hard-won" batch of coffee beans! As for the price... (tax included) 2,750 yen per 100g of green beans (approximately RMB 150/100g), which equals RMB 1,500/kg.

Of course, it was a pre-sale, but it seems due to the extremely limited production, they sold out in a flash. Domestic enthusiasts probably won't have a chance to spend their money on these beans for the next few years.

Value Assessment

Is it expensive? The price is actually lower than most people expected, because many enthusiasts' expectation was: they would be sold by individual bean!

Image sources: Yamako Farm official website, Internet

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