The Ethiopian Roast

COFFEE COUNTY is the personal project of Takaaki Mori, who launched the roastery in his hometown of Kurume, Fukuoka, in 2013 after spending an extended period living and working directly on coffee farms in Nicaragua. That experience fundamentally shaped his approach to coffee, grounding it in close, long-term relationships with producers at origin. Mori approaches roasting as a way to clearly express the inherent character of each coffee, with particular respect for the people and places behind it. Working primarily with vintage Probat roasting machines, he focuses on balance, clarity, and vibrancy, aiming to highlight origin characteristics. His sourcing model is deeply hands-on: Mori continues to travel regularly to producing countries to maintain direct relationships with farmers and to better understand each harvest.