【Interview】Vegan Canelé: What drives their passion for diversity and taste?
At TORIBA COFFEE in Yaesu, Tokyo, our UMAMI EGG has been used as a key ingredient in their popular vegan canelé since the store’s opening. Focusing on food diversity and choice, we take a closer look at TORIBA COFFEE's philosophy and the story behind building a brand that can be enjoyed by people with various dietary values.
The person we spoke with: Haruna Ogura, Brand Manager, Bird Feather Nobu Co., Ltd.
TORIBA COFFEE TOKYO
TORIBA COFFEE, a specialty store focusing on home-roasted coffee beans, was established in Ginza in 2014 with the mission of providing the highest quality coffee. Initially, the Ginza store specialized in selling coffee beans. However, in June 2023, the store relocated to Yaesu, Tokyo, and introduced a new café section. This renewal allows more people to enjoy freshly brewed coffee on the spot.
Our company is committed to respecting the diversity of food and providing delicious vegan options that everyone can enjoy. With brands like "Ming-Teng HAOHAO" and "Vegan Izakaya Masaka," we aim to create a welcoming space where vegans and non-vegans alike can share the same dining experience.
While the Ginza store operated as a specialty shop focused on selling coffee beans, the Yaesu store functions as both a coffee bean and goods store, as well as a café. It provides a welcoming space where people with diverse dietary preferences can spend quality time together while enjoying coffee and food. Although it is not a vegan café, it is a "regular café" that embraces choice and diversity. We offer a range of options, including gluten-free sweets and sandwiches made with domestic, additive-free ham.
How did you learn about our company and products?
Our introduction to UMAMI EGG came about when our product planner at the time had a connection with a representative of UMAMI UNITED JAPAN. In preparation for our reopening in June 2023, we explored about 30 different ideas for sweets development. Ultimately, inspired by the store's classic European-style décor, we decided to create a vegan version of canelé, a traditional pastry from the Bordeaux region of France.
What were some of the challenges in making canelé?
Surprisingly, it wasn’t as difficult as I had anticipated. We managed to produce a high-quality product right from the first prototype.
TORIBA COFFEE also operates a store in Kyoto, and a few months before the Tokyo store opened, the Kyoto store began selling canelé made with UMAMI EGG. Drawing on our experience from the Kyoto store, we fine-tuned the size and recipe to achieve the current product quality.
If I had to point out the most challenging part, it would be adjusting the size of the canelé for the Kyoto and Tokyo stores. The Kyoto store offers one large canelé, while the Tokyo store sells a set of two smaller ones. This adjustment was necessary due to the differing oven characteristics at each location.
On the Final Taste of the Menu
The final taste decisions are made by Toba, the head of TORIBA COFFEE. As a vegan, he isn’t concerned with whether a product is made from animal ingredients or not. Instead, his focus is on creating products that are simply "delicious" for everyone, regardless of their dietary preferences. This approach ensures his tasting reviews are highly precise.
Personally, I often find myself thinking, "Our products are really delicious," even when comparing them to similar products from other brands. (LOL)
What has been the impact of using UMAMI EGG in canelés since its launch?
Our canelés have become the top-selling homemade sweet at our store. Since opening, many customers have specifically come in to purchase our canelés, and we even receive phone reservations for them. We’re proud to say that our canelés are not only popular among vegans but are also highly praised for their taste, appealing to a wide range of customers regardless of whether they follow a vegan diet or not. Our clientele is diverse, including overseas tourists in the mornings, local office workers during the day, and visitors to the Tokyo Station area on weekends. Just like the vision of UMAMI UNITED JAPAN’s "ONE TABLE," we’ve been able to create a space where people from diverse culinary backgrounds can come together and enjoy themselves.
What are the benefits of UMAMI EGG?
One of the main advantages of UMAMI EGG is that it comes in powder form, combining ingredients that add richness and flavor into a single product. This eliminates the need to measure separate ingredients like nutritional yeast or rock salt, making operations much more efficient. Additionally, it offers a flavor profile that closely resembles real eggs, which is another great feature. Unlike finished products like scrambled eggs, its powdered form provides high versatility.
What would you like to see in our company and our products in the future?
In the future, I hope to see the addition of egg white elements. If we can successfully recreate the texture of egg whites in egg sandwiches and the bubbling effect of meringue in baked goods, we could make vegan versions of chiffon cakes and macarons.
One of the challenges and joys at TORIBA COFFEE is to "create something that has never existed in the world." Take French toast, for example. Most people have never tasted vegan, egg-free French toast because it traditionally uses eggs. Creating something like this that didn’t exist before is a great challenge, but also a very rewarding experience. It's not just about French toast—think about roll cakes, sponge cakes, and other sweets that are beloved by both the elderly and children. These are not just trendy, but long-loved treats, and we make them deliciously with vegan ingredients. This is what makes TORIBA COFFEE unique.
Much like the "ONE TABLE" philosophy upheld by UMAMI UNITED JAPAN, we also aim to work together to build a future of food where everyone can enjoy it, while respecting diverse values. We hope to continue providing products that our customers will love for years to come, all while striving for mutual progress based on our shared values.
Left: Mr. Suzuki, Public Relations Manager Right: Mr. Ogura, Brand Manage
About TORIBA COFFEE TOYKO
■ Store name: TORIBA COFFEE Tokyo
■ Address: Yanmar Tokyo B1F, 2-1-1 Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
■ Phone number: 03-6824-1541
■ Opening hours: Weekdays 8:00-19:00 (lo 18:30), Weekends and holidays 10:00-20:00 (lo 19:30)
IG https://www.instagram.com/toriba_coffee/
【Products Used in This Case】
Recipes
■For inquiries, please contact us here.
