Roger Ong(Zenbird has an updated list of sustainable cafes and sustainable restaurants here.)
A month ago, we introduced 5 sustainable restaurants and cafes in Tokyo. We felt that the list was a little short, so let’s double that number! We shall be looking at more sustainable locations for food in the future, so let’s start with the next five!
Cosme Kitchen Adaptation
Are you familiar with the concept of “Clean Eating”? It’s choosing to eat food that is natural, taking care to avoid processed food or food containing additives or preservatives. That is the philosophy that Cosme Kitchen Adaptation brings to its cafe restaurant.
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Similar to the organic nature of their popular makeup products, Cosme Kitchen Adaptation also applies a strict rule preparing food. It chooses ingredients that are organic and cultivated through natural means. Moreover, Adaptation also creates original recipes to ensure a balance diet for its guests. These recipes include vegan, gluten-free and raw food (food preparation that retains the beneficial nutrients) options.
By the way, Tokyo’s Adaptation restaurants carry another Cosme Kitchen brand, JUICERY. The same organic concept goes into selecting the fruits and vegetables that go into their smoothies and cold pressed juices. Furthermore, their cups are made from plant material and straws from paper.
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Mi Cafeto
Considering how many coffee lovers there are in the world, we really need more organic coffee brands. Mi Cafeto is one of the organic coffee cafes that is on our radar.
3月23日（土）より、バーニーズ ニューヨーク銀座本店3Fに「BARNEYS CAFE BY MI CAFETO」を開業いたします。一級畑だけで穫れた最高クラスのコーヒー「Premier Cru Café」を中心に取り揃え、フードやスイーツもご用意しています。皆様のお越しをお待ちしています！店舗情報▽https://t.co/9QNAErMvat pic.twitter.com/LKNWRn1slR
— Mi Cafeto (@micafeto) March 22, 2019
Mi Cafeto is a entity challenging itself to provide coffee that is environmentally-friendly, ethical and, of course, sustainable. Since the coffee industry is one the largest in the world, they believe that changes in the industry can have beneficial impacts on society and the environment.
In fact, Mi Cafeto involves themselves in guiding plantations and offering advice. They therefore improve the quality of life on communities surrounding the coffee plantations. This is what Mi Cafeto calls “creating shared value”.
内閣府が外交時に配布する冊子「We Are Tomodachi」内の「Japanese Individuals Contributing Worldwide（世界で活躍する日本人）」にて、アフリカのルワンダで栽培指導を行うコーヒーハンターJosé. 川島 良彰の活動の様子が紹介されました。https://t.co/4NSLYo2fyT pic.twitter.com/vMdos95sXj
— Mi Cafeto (@micafeto) September 4, 2018
The brand also has its own grading. As part of their vision is create coffee that is tastier, they created a “grading pyramid”, based on strict grading of the plantation grounds, management of the plantation and more.
Summerbird Organic
If you love chocolates, then you will go head over heels for Summerbird Organic. This Danish cafe is located at the southern area of Aoyama.
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That’s right. Summerbird Organic, being a Danish brand, is required to keep all its products organic. This means that the chocolate products are all 100% organic. Furthermore, Summerbird Organic pursues the “Bean to Bar” concept, which means they are directly involved from the cocoa bean farms, all the way to delivering it to the customers at the store. You can be sure that their organic ingredients are of the highest quality!
The minimalist interior space offers chocolate and coffee as you sit and peek at the chocolatiers’ handiwork.
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Sustainable Cafe & Salon HALUM
Sometimes it can be hard to relax in Tokyo because of its crowd and pace. That is why areas outside the city center are getting attention to, including Setagaya Ward, Shinagawa Ward and Nerima Ward. So if you are looking to explore outside Tokyo, Sustainable Cafe & Salon HALUM may be a good spot for you. Well, Japanese may be required too.
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HALUM’s goal is to bring nature back to the people, reminiscent of the ethical hotel we reported two months back. By doing so, they want to create a sustainable world that we can be proud of leaving to future generations.
The vegan ingredients the cafe uses are organic and come from local sources. In fact, they do no use any white sugar, dairy products, eggs, margarine or food additives.
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Just as the name suggests, HALUM is more than just a cafe. The second storey is open as a salon, available with aromatherapy or colortherapy. There is a homeopathic belief that a body can heal itself through natural means. Sustainable Cafe & Salon HALUM also holds events actively, ranging from yoga, to health talks, to the latest SDGs card game!
Bistorante Italiano Etruschi
Need a little posh for those special meals, you’ll be happy to know that you can dine ethically with the Bistorante Italiano Etruschi.
In fact, there is a fun in the sense that you can choose to seat yourself in the first or second storey. Depending on your mood for the day, you can choose the refined first storey, or the heartwarming second. The menus for each are different too!
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Yet, even though the menus are different, the organic nature of the ingredients is the common ground. Etruschi uses organic olive oil imported from Italy. It also ties down with Japanese partners for ingredients. Currently, Etruschi orders the freshest vegetables from over 30 farms throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu.
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Sustainable restaurants and cafes can have positive impacts
You probably don’t need to hear this again, but sustainable restaurants and cafes can impact societies, environment and businesses positively. As we saw in Mi Cafeto, by making sustainable choices, we are actually contributing to the growth of an industry, to the betterment of other societies. Sustainability can unite us, and that is quite a wonderful thought.
