The Story
Trunk Coffee Bar was opened in mid-2014 by Yasuo Suzuki and his friend Kiyohito Tanaka in Nagoya, which is Suzuki’s hometown . What began as a simple philosophy— “if you have a cafe, you should serve good coffee” —became an extraordinary journey across continents. Suzuki started his career at a travel agency, H.I.S., where his friend Tanaka-san, who became his business partner and roaster at TRUNK COFFEE, was also working . After three years in corporate life, Suzuki followed his dream to Europe.
The turning point came when Suzuki discovered that Denmark had a high concentration of barista champions, so he went to Denmark and began begging at doorsteps for a chance to study under well-known baristas . Though repeatedly rejected, he eventually found one small cafe that offered him work for 5 days voluntarily, without salary—a tiny place on the outskirts of the city that didn’t even have a name, but to Suzuki, it was his golden thread of hope . After studying for a year and a half he moved back to Japan and began working at Fuglen, a Scandinavian-style cafe in Tokyo. He continued there for two years before deciding to return to Denmark to study roasting . After nearly five years of research and practice, he was ready to open Trunk .
Sourcing & Relationships
Suzuki chose Nagoya because he felt that Tokyo was too crowded with specialty coffee choices, while Nagoya had practically none. He wanted to be a pioneer of sorts, bringing modern coffee culture to a place it hadn’t reached yet . The approach mirrors the Scandinavian transparency Suzuki absorbed during his training years. They established their coffee profile by adjusting Northern European style profile to Japanese water , demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of how local conditions affect extraction and flavor development.
They host free cupping sessions twice a week, and frequently invite baristas from Tokyo, who they then visit in return, to build up a good network and to constantly educate people about specialty coffee . This educational transparency extends to their sourcing philosophy, where they maintain the Scandinavian principle of openness about technique and style. The roastery operates with genuine commitment to coffee education— Suzuki does his best to spread the word and to educate people about specialty coffee. He has appeared in magazines, on radio shows, and even on TV programs to talk about his craft. In the store, he offers a number of workshops every month to give people a chance to get hands-on with the tools of the trade .
Roasting Philosophy
Trunk Coffee uses PROBAT and Stronghold roasting machines to roast their coffees to perfection with consistent results through data control and quality control . They are now roasting at least 3 days a week, but some weeks they roast everyday, and they are keen to be open about their technique and style, just like the roasters in Denmark are . The philosophy represents a careful marriage of Nordic light-roast principles with Japanese precision and local palate preferences.
It hasn’t been easy bringing the bright and juicy flavors of Scandinavian coffee to a city that loves its dark roast, but Trunk is making its mark . Their approach acknowledges the challenge of introducing lighter roasting profiles in a market traditionally dominated by darker roasts, yet they persist with educational patience rather than forcing change. They located their cafe/roaster slightly out of central Nagoya to motivate themselves to keep providing their customers an incentive to travel a bit extra to visit , reflecting confidence in their product quality over convenient location.
What to Try
The standout offering that exemplifies Trunk’s innovation is the ORIGAMI dripper, designed in collaboration with TRUNK COFFEE and ORIGAMI, has been chosen and used on stage by World Brewers Cup Champions. Its innovative design is making waves worldwide . The precisely engineered vertical grooves have been tested and perfected to deliver exceptional flavor extraction, bringing out the best in every cup. Compatible with both wave and cone-shaped paper filters, this versatile dripper adapts to your brewing preference . This product represents Trunk’s commitment to innovation beyond just roasting coffee.
For coffee selections, the shot, a fully washed Ethiopia Hama, blows me out of the water according to one reviewer, while the Gedeb Worka is one of the tastiest African coffees I’ve had in a while . Their seasonal offerings showcase the Nordic approach to highlighting origin characteristics. The roastery has also gained recognition through competitive success— The 2022 champion is SHOMA ISHIHARA (TRUNK COFFEE) in the Japan Cup Tasters Championship, demonstrating their expertise in coffee evaluation and quality assessment. Additionally, TRUNK COFFEE is also known for their innovative collaboration beyond the boundary between industries , including partnerships with local football teams and sake breweries, showing their integration within Nagoya’s broader cultural landscape.