GATHAITHI - KENYA

Kawano Yuma and Aihara Tamito, who met while working part time at a chain coffee shop where they bonded over latte art, founded Light Up Coffee in Kichijoji, Tokyo in July 2014 after a year of roasting on a one kilogram Fuji Royal in Kawano's parents' living room. Kawano, a national latte art competition winner in 2012, traveled to Norway and London with Aihara to study specialty coffee before launching the company, and they were just 24 and 23 years old when they opened. The operation has since grown from that tiny home setup to a new large scale roastery in Mitaka, opened in March 2023 inside a former automobile factory and equipped with a Probat UG22, while maintaining the original Kichijoji cafe and a renovated Shimokitazawa roastery with a five kilogram Fuji Royal. Light Up runs coffee production projects in collaboration with local farms in Bali, Indonesia and Dalat, Vietnam, extending the company's involvement from roasting back to the origin of the green coffee itself. The name reflects a simple ambition to brighten up everyday life with delicious coffee, and the company hosts monthly cupping sessions at Shimokitazawa every Monday, keeping education and community at the center of one of Tokyo's most respected specialty operations.