NO FREE COFFEE opened its first store in Japan

"NO FREE COFFEE" is founded by Mario Kristian, Alex Ewings, Daniel Buezo in LA and focussing on coffee. They also collaborating with fashion and culture, now opened the first branch in Japan at Harajuku Tokyo on 3 November 2023.

Comments from cafe founders

BRAND STORY: WHY YOU OPENED THE SHOP IN TOKYO?

"My job at that time (directing the music video) was extremely stressful and took up a lot of my time, so I jokingly talked with my friends, "Let's move to Japan and start working at a coffee shop.'' I was really inspired when I came to Japan in 2019 and had food at NIGO's Curry Up restaurant. I felt that not only the food but the goods also important. So I started thinking about whether I could do something similarly at the coffee shop I wanted to open. I was also impressed by the attention to detail and the way people tell the stories in Japan. So I went back to Los Angeles and asked my friends if we could open a coffee shop together.

Coffee is something that exists in every culture, and I think it's something that brings people come to meet together. In our first pop-up store, we served coffee through a tiny door, inspired by the old Italian wine windows. Since then, the number of fans has increased little by little, and collaborations with various brands

The name "NO FREE COFFEE" just came up to me while i talking to Alex. Its name came from an idea that nothing in the world is free, especially something valuable like delicious coffee. I'm really looking forward to opening a shop in Tokyo. I opened my first store in Tennessee where I was born and raised, but I got a lot of inspiration from Tokyo, so I'm very happy to be able to open my second store here.

The Tokyo Open was finally shaped up after spent more than a year for preparation. I'm filled with thankful feelings for Tokyo city. It really influenced me a lot. I want to say thank you to everyone who bought me coffee, people who works at cafe, people who wears a hoodie jacket, and all who shared their experience with No Free Coffee."