Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicolas Tanaka
Hi Nicolas, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My coffee experience really started during my sophmore year of college when arguably one of the first ‘specialty’ coffee shop opened right down the street from me called BlendIn. I worked there for about 3 years, working closely with some of the best in the industry. Weihong was the owner and provided a ton of SCA classes which developed my obsession over the ‘tree-to-cup’ experience. After a few years, i worked towards my Q grader arabica license which then allowed me to expand my experience and knowledge of what specialty coffee really is. After 2020, my life as well as everyone else in the world changed. I graduated from University of Houston with a BFA in photography which then led me to working in marketing. I remember bringing my home brew equipment to the office to make my coworkers some coffee to start our long work days. Fast forward to late 2022, my sister, Krystal Tanaka was just about to finish her masters at Rice University and wanted to collaborate with me in her business class to then create a business plan that would eventually become the birth of Kohiko. After winning my second world latte art championship, i knew it was time to create a space for my own kind of coffee experience. I took on the role of general contractor to take control of the build out, and designed the drinks. menu, and interior of the whole shop. My whole family has a pride for serving and bringing Japanese hospitality to Sugar Land became a real goal of ours. We take pride in how we present our coffee; the way it’s carried to you, the perfect temperature, texture, and sweetness. We make all of our syrups in house and present all of our drinks with purpose. We love to make everyone welcome and accepted and feel just at home. We are always eager to host anyone at our coffee ‘house’.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My first month was interesting to say the least. Taking on the role of general contractor without any experience was already a headache, but i tried my best to follow the city guidelines without running into delays. We had a rushed opening and didn’t consider many things. Within the first week, we had an average of 250 sales a day, with just me, my sister, and a few friends who has become a crucial part of the core team;We were severely understaffed. The next week, we had a hurricane pass Sugar Land, causing us to shut down for four days(luckily we didn’t waste too much product). The following week, our plumbing clogged in the restrooms twice, leading me to deep clean our restrooms and close down the shop for maintnenace. We also had our espresso machine stop working due to a flow restrictor malfunctioning that same week. the last week of our soft opening, we had to close for a week to really correct our training and expand to staff to really prepare for what we have already experienced during soft opening. During the first month after grand opening, our transformer blew which took our our plaza’s power for a few days. I actually had to move around 40 gallons of milk and stuff them in my fridge at home. I believe later that month i also ran out of practically every matcha we offered simply because i did not know how to project our usage and inventory yet. It was a very humbling first month of opening, but i’m incredibly grateful to have the support i built around being in this industry for so long. I am proud of what i’ve learned being the general contractor for my own space so that i can understand my shop with everything built within these walls.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve been holding a camera since middle school and never stopped. The places and people my camera has taken me to has continued to to surprise me. I love sharing moments, capturing them, and sharing them. I’ve met all of my bestest friends through photography and it is the truest form of identity in who i am as a person. After graduating from UH with Photography, i made it my life mission to work in the creative space; little did i know, it was making my own business to photograph whatever i want, however i want. I’ve been developing my look and style for years and i love that it’s a constant progression to this day. I want to say i was most proud of my work when i was making content for a local company called Alphalete Athletics. It was the closest i ever got to feeling a part of a solid marketing team, and circled around like-minded creatives. It amazed me how we all created such a dynamic team with the most creative people i’ve ever met; some of them i talk to every day. I’ve always known the creative space was going to be competitive, which led me to become more competitive. I love to work hard and it shows.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I was actually a band kid and a very religious one. I loved practicing and working towards something with a team like a school band. All of my friends from middle school to high school were all in percussion so it was easy for us to have some fun and mess around. A lot of my growth as a student comes from band class and i always miss the days of practicing at school after hours.
Pricing:
- Okinawa Latte $6.75
- Uji Homare Matcha Latte $6.50
- Soba Cha tea $4
- Espresso $3.50
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kohikocoffeehouse
Image Credits
Kirby Betancourt (Photographer)
instagram: @kirbybetancourt
