Innovative Sydney-based coffee roaster Single O announces its expansion in Japan, launching a new Ryogoku Roastworks this April. Single O Ryogoku Roastworks will include a roastery and cafe, serving Single O’s signature coffee, self-serve batch brew taps, and a breakfast and lunch menu. Marking a decade of its presence in the region, and in response to Single O’s growing Japanese customer base, the new Roastworks will quadruple its production capacity, allowing Single O to better service local coffee lovers. The launch will be closely followed by the opening of a new coffee bar concept in July in the cultural hub of Shibuya, as the brand’s third Tokyo outpost.
Single O team standing outside their new digs, Single O Ryogoku Roastworks. (L-R) Yasuko Miura – is the retail manager; Yu Yamamoto is – the Japan general manager; Mamiko Yamamoto is – the co-head of Single O Japan; Dion Cohen is the co-founder; Narisawa Yusuke – is the head trainer; and Miho Uchida – is the Ryogoku cafe manager.
“We hit the ground running in Japan a decade ago, and the response we’ve had since then has honestly blown us away – we’re now roasting for 130 wholesale partners across Japan,” says Dion Cohen, co-founder of Single O. “Moving the roastery into a bigger and better space is really an opportunity to double down in support of those partners and grow our offering.”
Following the success of the first Single O retail store in Hamacho, Ryogoku Roastworks will house Single O’s second cafe in Japan. The Roastworks cafe will serve Single O’s signature blend Reservoir, which delivers its hallmark stonefruit and milk chocolate flavours, and rotating single origins will be specially selected for espresso and long black. The cafe will also offer a self-serve coffee-on-tap counter, serving a selection of rotating single-origin batch brews.
Staying true to Single O’s ethos, the cafe’s breakfast and lunch menu showcases high-quality, seasonal produce focusing on local ingredients. The menu features Aussie signatures from Single O’s Surry Hills and Newstead cafes, including Single O’s cult-favourite banana bread with espresso butter and The Avo Show (rye, achiote cashew cheese, pickled fennel, seasoned crumb, chilli oil, sweet lemon aspen). Twists on familiar favourites include Boris’ Beans (Turkish-inspired bean stew, tomato, chilli oil and labne) and Reservoir Dog (Tesio Sausage, caramelized onion, tomato sauce), a nod to the street in which Single O Surry Hills resides.
The new Ryogoku Roastworks, which will replace the brand’s existing roastery, marks a significant milestone for Single O, enabling the brand to quadruple its regional production capacity. Expanding on the original roastery concept, the Roastworks also offers an on-site quality control and training room for wholesale partners, this time with bigger and better facilities, signalling its commitment to fostering talent and enhancing Japan’s already growing specialty coffee culture.
The launch will be spearheaded by Yu Yamamoto, the brand’s Japan general manager. Yamamoto has been an integral part of the brand for 15 years, joining the team on the overseas exchange through Single O’s Surry Hills cafe. Yama has since led the brand’s successful expansion in Japan, heading up the launch of the original roastery in 2014 and the Hamacho cafe in 2021.
Single O Ryogoku Roastworks, designed by Sydney-based design film Luchetti Krelle.
Single O Ryogoku Roastworks has been designed by Sydney-based architecture and interior design firm Luchetti Krelle as a homage to the brand’s roots. This iteration embodies Single O’s industrial heritage and unwavering commitment to sustainability. Preserving the structural integrity and charm of the corner warehouse with its corrugated metal façade, the design incorporates a freestanding pod to house the cafe, nestled against an internal wall, with the roastery mechanics sitting behind. Repurposed timber and eco-friendly materials, including recycled plastic display shelves and tables, infuse the space with a playful urban edge.
Single O Ryogoku Roastworks will launch on April 24, opening from Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am-6 pm. The roastery will be on 3-21-5, Kamezawa, Sumida, Ryogoku, East Tokyo. Single O’s Shibuya coffee bar is slated to launch in July, with more details soon to be announced. For more information, visit https://singleo.com.au/.
