Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group [SGX: M04]

I am pleased to have this opportunity to share my views on the subject of tea and coffee. First of all, what surprises me is that the variety of orders from guests for tea and coffee has increased severalfold compared to 10-15 years ago. I think this is probably due to the recent health-conscious trend, the availability of a wider range of beverages, as well as the opening of high-quality coffee shops.

 A decade ago, decaf, and at most, low-fat or no-fat milk cappuccinos were the most options in Japan, but today wider varieties are available, including almond milk decaf cappuccinos, soy milk matcha lattes, and oat milk lattes etc.

As for teas, the order range has expanded from classic Indian, Sri Lankan, Chinese, and scented teas, to caffeine-free bean teas and Japanese teas as well.

As food and beverage person, I am so pleased to see many guest has such wider variety and expanding evenmore in the selection which make huge opportunity for our business and producers.

Above all, what often gives me a challenge is that when I was young and working as a waiter, I could memorize tea, coffee, juice, and egg dish orders for 5-6 guests without taking notes, but now, when I sometimes help out in restaurants, it is difficult to remember even the order from two guests. Decaf cappuccino with soy milk, poached eggs on gluten-free bread, cafe au lait with rice milk, vegan meat burger with no oil, etc. I wonder if this is because of my age. I find it very difficult to remember these things instantly as I did when I was younger.

When it comes to handling tea and coffee in hotels and restaurants in the future, it will inevitably require something different from the past in terms of farming, harvesting, sourcing, and distributing methods, as well as service-providing methods. We need to procure products while paying close attention to their carbon footprint, actively use domestic products, and choose products that are certified Fairtrade and organic for farming and harvesting.

When it comes to handling tea and coffee in hotels and restaurants in the future, it will inevitably require something different from the past in terms of farming, harvesting, sourcing, and distributing methods, as well as service-providing methods

Our company was one of the first to achieve 100 percent Fairtrade certification for products such as coffee, tea, cacao, and vanilla beans. But rather than focusing on promoting this fact loudly to our guests, I think we should learn the right things to do as a socially responsible company.

As I write this article, I feel nostalgic for the days when I was young and kept notes in my pocket at the time of taking breakfast orders to remember the preferred beverages of our loyal guests—a blend of Earl Grey and English Breakfast tea with cold milk on the side.