Mame, which opened in 2016, is located in a down-to-earth area of the 5th district, not far from Zurich Central Station.
When you enter the store, the wall behind the counter displays the standard menu as well as the week's recommended beans. Next to it is a special MAME flavor wheel with 14 color-coded flavors, representing aromas and flavors such as chocolate, umami, spice, citrus, and tropical fruit.
If the customer is not familiar with coffee, the barista will suggest, "May I make it with a rich chocolate flavor?", but if the customer is knowledgeable or a regular, the conversation will be lively as they will explain the new beans that have arrived.
It is jointly run by Emi Fukahori, who won the 2018 World Brewers Cup representing Switzerland, and Matthieu Thies, a former French engineer who has won numerous barista competitions. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary cafe, but they are particular about the brewing method and are offering some of the best prices in Europe, in order to make the special beans used in competitions available to the general public.
Emi came to Switzerland to study at a tourism vocational school. "After graduating, I worked in the travel industry for four years, dealing with customers coming from Japan. It was rewarding work, but there wasn't the enjoyment of delicious food and drink like in Japan, so I started looking for something to do and started participating in hobby groups like wine tasting. At the beginning of 2014, I attended a coffee group and thought, 'This is interesting!' That's what got me started."
He is the type to go all out. Rather than just enjoying comparing drinks, he decided to try competing in competitions, and so he began a life that felt like a training camp, practicing for competitions every night after work. "I loved it, and I desperately wanted to get better," he said, so it wasn't a struggle. As a result, he won the Swiss Barista Championship in 2015, and in 2018, he also won the Swiss Championship and became the World Champion in the Brewers category.
"The history of the world championships is short, less than 30 years, but coffee is incredibly deep. It's difficult to even get to the point where you can say, 'This is the kind of coffee I like.' After winning in Switzerland, I went on to the world championships, and I realized that the world I had been looking at was still small. I felt like a water flea (laughs)."
In each competition, participants had to choose which beans to use and honestly work to make those beans delicious. Everything, including the story behind them, was important.
Even now, he travels to coffee-producing regions every year to purchase beans, and in Panama in particular, he always comes across beans that take his breath away. Around 80 varieties of carefully selected raw beans arrive from all over the world each year, and are roasted intensively two to three days a week at his roastery in Zurich. Because there are so many varieties, he roasts them little by little, and he spends a lot of time adjusting and cleaning the roasting machine.
The store is bustling with local regulars. 
The beans are sold in black cans. 
Cappuccino (left) starts at 6 Swiss francs. Baked goods from Atelier Okashi are also available.
Currently, there are around 30 baristas working at the two Geneva stores. This multinational team comes from European countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Spain, where visas are not an issue. The staff are not just good at brewing coffee, but are also friendly and good at communicating. They also provide generous support to staff who are taking on the challenge of competing.
Even after retiring from competitive roasting, he continues to support young people who compete in competitions from his shop, as well as athletes who use MAME beans to take on the challenge. Running a business overseas is tough, but he has overcome it by saying, "You have no choice but to become tough." When the COVID-19 pandemic struck three years after opening, he had a tough time holed up in the roastery, but after the pandemic, he has actually gained momentum. He also takes a positive view of Switzerland as a whole, saying, "There are more people who are taking on challenges without much hesitation if there is something they want to do."
MAME has become famous outside of Switzerland as a place where you can enjoy a little everyday luxury in an unpretentious way, while lining up the world's top-quality beans. Now, customers from all over the world have heard about it and are rolling their suitcases from the airport. Emi's next goal is to enter the Japanese market.
"I want to take on a new challenge in Japan as a stepping stone in my life. I want to deliver our coffee to people coming to Japan from all over the world."
Emi set out on the world stage at an early stage in her life. Though she has achieved success, her dreams and journey are still only half-way complete. With coffee as her common language, she continues to transcend the boundaries between Japan and the world. This may be the future for those who follow in her footsteps.
The office and roastery that has been our base since 2019. 
This is the second store. The terrace seats facing the street are always popular. 
MAME Josef. When the weather is nice, the terrace seats with sunlight filtering through the trees are very pleasant. The original store was originally a dry cleaning shop. It's not in a so-called high-end area, but the main clientele is creative, with tourists also frequenting the area.
