To commemorate the 30th anniversary of NAC, we have created original coffee bags and mugs. They are available for purchase at the shop on the 1st floor of the center and at the cafe restaurant on the 2nd floor, so please come and take a look.
NAC 30th Anniversary Coffee Birth Story
We asked Sprout, a coffee shop in front of Kutchan Station, to make coffee bags for our 30th anniversary. The owner, Toge, used to be a very active adventure guide for NAC, and now he is involved in a wide range of other activities, including running a coffee shop and private lodging. And Sam, who roasted the coffee beans for us, is a real NAC family member who has been running around NAC since he was a child. We chose the aroma of coffee as the perfect way to conjure up thoughts of the adventurous spirit and lifestyle that has continued through the generations here in Kutchan, and the 30 years that have passed!
The passion behind coffee
I learned from Toge and Sam that coffee can also contain many different emotions. The blend used this time is “Niseko Haute Route,” which expresses the feelings felt when hiking the Niseko mountain range with a balance of bitterness, sourness, and sweetness by combining three types of coffee beans. The taste and aroma of the coffee is the same as that of the 40km hike up the Niseko mountain range. It’s not just about making something delicious, but the taste and aroma have been created with the eyes of someone who loves Niseko’s outdoor lifestyle, and it’s a blend that leaves you with a lingering sense of joy and relief, like the feeling you get after a long mountain trip.
The journey of coffee beans
This time, we were also able to see the actual coffee beans, as Toge had just returned from Central America, where he sources his beans. Usually, coffee beans are polished, like rice, and then roasted in-house to become coffee beans, but he brought us beans with the husk still attached, before being polished, which can only be seen locally. Coffee beans are originally seeds. I always knew this about coffee and just drank it casually without really thinking about it, but I learned that coffee has gone through many different processes to become a single flavor from the producers, and I realized that even a single coffee bean has traveled a journey filled with the thoughts of many different people.
As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, I feel that the breadth of the influence of former NAC staff and our families who are active in various fields and shaping the local Niseko area is truly the shape of Mt. Yotei.
As we look ahead to our new 31st season, I believe we have had a great time and adventure with the young staff who have been with us this year!
