Berkeley, CA + Osaka, Japan – September 7, 2023 – Today, Bellwether Coffee, the technology company advancing electric coffee roasting to deliver the lowest carbon footprint in the industry, is announcing its expansion into the Japanese market with a new roaster installation at Ryohin Keikaku (MUJI), the renowned global retailer with more than 1,000 stores around the world, carrying items ranging from clothing and household goods to food and more. The Bellwether All‑Electric Coffee Roasting System is currently featured in MUJI’s new flagship location at the Grand Front Osaka, located next to Osaka Station.
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“At MUJI, our goal is to provide a pleasant lifestyle to society through great food. We also create products that take our environment and society into consideration,” said Hirotaka Takahashi, Executive Officer, Food Merchandising at MUJI. “Bellwether’s visionary product design has minimal carbon dioxide emissions and matches MUJI’s vision, which led us to install a Bellwether roaster. We hope to enrich people’s lives by serving freshly brewed, low-carbon coffee onsite at our MUJI locations.”
MUJI has adopted the Bellwether Roasting System because of its ability to reduce the carbon dioxide footprint with an electric solution that doesn’t use gas, while recycling exhaust and leveraging a closed loop system to roast. In addition, Bellwether’s easy-to-use approach means MUJI doesn’t require a roasting professional to be on site to operate it.
“The installation of Bellwether Coffee’s roaster at MUJI marks a new era for electric roasting and the future of sustainable, low-carbon coffee that brings the micro-roastery movement to the sophisticated and discerning Japanese market,” said Woody Deguchi, Vice President of International Business Development at Bellwether Coffee. “The start of our business with MUJI, a global brand known for its commitment to quality, simplicity, and sustainability, is representative of our shared vision for the future of coffee and is the first step in Bellwether’s strategic expansion abroad.”
Deguchi joins the Bellwether leadership team to build upon the company’s momentum and drive international adoption for its groundbreaking electric roasting system. He is an experienced sales leader for both startup and publicly-traded companies with a proven track record of leading expansion efforts in APAC. He was previously the Chief Strategy Officer for LogiGear Corporation, where he helped manage the successful post-merger integration of LogiGear into Digital Hearts Holdings (Japan). Deguchi started his career with Sony and was part of a successful startup that was sold to TiVo, where he ran APAC sales out of the Tokyo office.
“Woody’s appointment is a significant milestone for the company, as is this first-of-its-kind business with MUJI,” added Ricardo Lopez, founder and CEO of Bellwether. “Woody brings a keen strategic vision for collaborating with global companies to drive business and innovate markets. With the new relationship with MUJI, Bellwether marks its presence in one of the world’s largest cities, and it signals our commitment to accelerating access to electric roasting to help retailers of all sizes, and in all locations, differentiate while also reducing their carbon footprint.”
In 2022 alone, Bellwether helped save 2.2M pounds of carbon with its patented roasting system that reduces 87% of the carbon footprint from roasting. Bellwether will showcase its system for the first time at Specialty Coffee Association of Japan (SCAJ) Tokyo from September 25-28, roasting live on the floor of the biggest international coffee trade show in Asia. To learn more and see it in action, visit Bellwether at booth #4405 to see the technology shaping the future of coffee.
About Bellwether Coffee
Bellwether Coffee is the provider of the world’s lowest carbon coffee roaster. As the only electric and ventless system, Bellwether is supporting the microroastery movement by transforming retailers into on-site roasters, while helping source sustainable coffee beans from farmers around the world – including a commitment to living income pricing across 100% of its coffee supply chain globally. Bellwether’s first-of-its-kind technology was built from scratch to deliver a solution that is easy to install, use, and scale to produce consistency and quality in craft coffee. By making roasting more accessible, Bellwether is helping retailers differentiate, drive sales, and deliver the coffee of the future for sustainability in coffee today. For more information visit www.bellwethercoffee.com.
About Ryohin Keikaku (MUJI)
Mujirushi Ryohin, MUJI in Japanese, has been developing “no-frills quality products.” MUJI was founded in Japan in 1980 and now has more than 1,000 stores around the world. With the goal of creating truthful and sustainable life for all, MUJI is globally recognized for its high-quality products that are functional, well designed and reasonably priced. Find us online at www.MUJI.com or Instagram: @muji_global and Twitter: @muji_net.
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