In October 2025, Seibo Japan collaborated with the student-led “Café Project: TSUNAGU Café,” organized by the Faculty of Economics and Management, Department of Modern Business, at International Pacific University (IPU). Through Malawian tea and coffee, we were able to work together in creating a meaningful global learning experience.
“TSUNAGU Café” operates under the theme “Connecting, Expanding, Global.” Its mission is to provide a space where international and Japanese students can interact and inspire the next generation of changemakers. By incorporating tea and coffee from Malawi, the students explored what it means to think and act with a global perspective.
A Student-Created “Connecting Café”
TSUNAGU Café began in the first semester of 2023 as part of the “Project Zero” course in the Department of Modern Business. It is a student-driven initiative in which participants take on all aspects of café management—from planning, menu development, accounting, and promotion, to overall operations—building everything from the ground up as a team.
The café offers locally sourced ingredients from Okayama, pesticide-free and organically cultivated coffee beans, menus developed using cascara (the dried husk of coffee cherries that would otherwise be discarded), and globally inspired items such as “salt cream coffee,” created by Vietnamese international students.
At events such as open campus days, students showcase carefully selected coffee, sweets, and light meals, sharing their passion and creativity with visitors.
Sharing a Taste of Malawi with Seibo Japan
For the October 2025 edition of TSUNAGU Café, Seibo Japan provided Malawian coffee beans and tea as part of the café’s global menu.
These products are carefully grown by smallholder farmers in Malawi who are supported by Seibo, and proceeds from their sale help fund school feeding programs for children in Malawi.
Through this experience, the students learned firsthand how “enjoying a cup of coffee can help support someone’s future,” gaining insight into models where business and social contribution coexist.
Within the café space, the warmth of the local community naturally blends with the spirit of international cooperation.
A Place of Learning That Connects to the Future
TSUNAGU Café is a place where students can share their aspirations while gaining practical experience in business management, community engagement, and the SDGs.
For Seibo Japan, it was also a valuable opportunity to work with the younger generation to deliver a “fair cup” from Malawi.
Seibo will continue to expand collaborations that connect education and social contribution, building bridges of warm-hearted support between Malawi and Japan.
