Kirishima Brewery’s New Facility and Cafe is Powered Entirely by Sweet Potato and Coffee Beans

japanese art, design and culture

Kirishima Shuzo, the iconic Japanese shochu maker, has teamed up with Starbucks Japan to create a one-of-a-kind collaborative facility where coffee, craftsmanship and sustainability come together under a single bamboo roof. KIRISHIMA GREENSHIP icoia opens this week in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture.

Designed by Kengo Kuma as a welcoming space for relaxation (or “ikoi” in Japanese), icoia houses two main retail spaces: a store offering sake, goods, and lifestyle items, and a coffee shop. Complementing these two shops are a glass-walled botanical garden, a rooftop garden, an indoor koi aquarium and an open lawn area, all set against the backdrop of Mount Kirishima and the Okimizu River.

But what truly differentiates the facility is its commitment to sustainability and willingness to experiment with alternative sources of energy. The botanical garden utilizes thermal energy from distilled wastewater generated during shochu production to grow subtropical coffee and sweet potato plants. And the facility’s electricity is entirely powered by renewable energy that converts biogas generated from sweet potato waste and coffee grounds into electricity.

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