T’s CLOVER — A Specialty Shop for Tea and Scones Making Waves Online Shops

Interview with T’s CLOVER representative Shibata Chihiro

We spoke with representative Shibata Chihiro about T’s CLOVER’s business over the years.

We take a closer look at how the business came to thrive as a specialty tea and scone shop.

How the tea and scone shop began

Why did you start a tea and scone shop?

Shibata (surname only)

Running a cafe was my wife's dream.

So, in February 2008, we bought a shop in Funakura-cho, Kurashiki City, and opened a cafe.

My wife and I both liked tea, so we thought of a treat that would let customers enjoy it.

That was when we came up with scones.

At first, we didn't have a wide variety and started with just a few kinds of scones.

Why did you start an online shop?

Shibata

I didn't think a cafe was a business that could be sustained for several years.

Many customers would sit for hours over a single cup of coffee, so turnover wasn't as high as at udon or ramen shops.

Also, few customers ordered several cups of coffee, making it difficult to increase the average spend per customer.

I thought it would be difficult to keep the business going with just the cafe, so I decided to open an online shop selling tea and scones.

Was it difficult to start selling through an online shop?

Shibata

Actually, before opening the cafe, I worked at a camera shop.

I had enough experience to run photography classes, so I knew how to photograph products and already had the equipment.

I had also graduated from a school specializing in information technology, so I was familiar with writing programs.

I had even created an affiliate website, so I wasn't hesitant about selling things online.

Since I could take product photos and build web pages, I started selling tea and scones through an online shop in October 2008.

The tea and scone online shop

How did sales through the online shop go?

Shibata

We became incredibly busy after starting the online shop.

Our production capacity was limited to about 400 scones a day.

Even so, we received orders for thousands.

At times, orders were booked up three months in advance.

I remember how hectic it was from morning until night, since we also had to prepare the treats served at the cafe by the next morning.

What was the cafe like?

The cafe was also thriving.

It was especially busy when there was a concert at nearby Kurashiki Civic Hall.

Perhaps because there were few places like restaurants where people could rest their feet, customers came in droves.

Every item in the shop, including cakes, sold out.

Both the online shop and the cafe were thriving, and our hectic lifestyle continued for about two years.

Why did you focus on the online shop?

Shibata

Although the cafe was busy, we continued to have such grueling days that we felt our health might give out.

So we decided to close the cafe, but some of the customers who had been coming for years would be sad not to be able to buy our tea and scones anymore.

We kept the online shop running so customers could buy tea and scones whenever they wanted.

We then rented a building in Inari-cho, Kurashiki City, and began making scones in a small factory.

Why the food truck was launched

Why did you start a food truck?

Shibata

A food truck is a moving billboard.

We give it bright, eye-catching decorations so it stands out to customers at market events.

We also painted a QR code among the food truck's decorations.

At market events, many people seem to feel awkward about approaching a stall because they think they have to buy something.

So we added a QR code so people can find out from a distance what the shop sells.

What kinds of things do you sell from the food truck?

Shibata

We sell about 30 kinds of scones from the food truck.

The many scones displayed at the shop make an impression just by looking at them, and choosing one is fun too.

By offering an exceptionally wide selection of scones, we created the distinctive identity of a scone specialty shop.

We also operate as a tea stand where people can enjoy tea.

We offer different ways to enjoy tea so people can have the experience of saying, “I didn't know you could drink tea like this.”

We want to increase the number of people who come to love tea's delicate aroma and flavor.

Why they moved their base to Mizushima

Why did you move your base to Mizushima?

Shibata

My family home was in Tsurajima-cho, near Mizushima, so I know what Mizushima was like when it was thriving.

It feels quiet now, but Mizushima has a railway, as well as public facilities such as a Kurashiki City Office branch and hospitals, making it a very convenient town.

Despite its convenience, property prices have fallen, and I feel it offers more value than its price suggests.

I moved here thinking, “It may feel run-down now, but over the next few decades, I can use my own efforts to make Mizushima a better town.”

What kind of activities have you been involved in in Mizushima?

Shibata

Soon after moving to Mizushima, I joined Mizushima Moriagetai, which works on community development in Mizushima, and Mizushima Yamorisha Nadia.

Mizushima Moriagetai holds events such as Isu-1 Grand Prix, a chair-racing competition, and Mizukon, a matchmaking party.

Mizushima Yamorisha Nadia held the Mizushima Salvage Meeting to consider ways to make use of vacant houses.

We have also had a stall at Rintetsu Garden since its first event.

There were only three vendors at the first event, but it has since grown into a large-scale market event that attracts more than 2,000 people.

How would you like to change Mizushima in the future?

Shibata

I want to make it a town where children who grow up in Mizushima will want to return, thinking, “I want to make Mizushima a better place.”

That's why I want to plan lots of events that will stay in children's memories.

I also want to create more places around town that people will remember fondly.

The location is good and properties are being sold at reasonable prices, so I hope people will make good use of them and that more new shops will open.

It's a town where you can take on any challenge if you have an idea, so I want to work with younger generations to bring Mizushima to life.

Enjoying T’s CLOVER’s tea and scones

I think many people aren't familiar with scones.

Shibata said that when they first started selling scones, people often asked, “What exactly is a scone?”

I felt that turning this unfamiliarity to their advantage and offering dozens of kinds of scones as a specialty shop was a brilliant idea that created a distinctive identity.

Online retail is commonplace now, but I don't think it was something everyone used in 2008, when T’s CLOVER opened its online shop.

I can't help thinking that Shibata had a keen sense of where things were headed, spotting the potential of online retail early on and establishing a specialty tea and scone shop at the dawn of e-commerce.

As I enjoyed a lovely tea soda and a rich, sweet red bean and butter scone at a salon in Mizushima, I sensed the foresight behind it all.

Mizushima has many quiet, deserted-looking scenes now, but Shibata sees its appeal.

I find myself looking forward to seeing Mizushima grow in the years ahead.

T's CLOVER details

Name	T's CLOVER
Address	6-26 Mizushima Higashitokiwa-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture
Contact	086-486-1057
Parking	None
Business hours	Sales through the website and at marche events in Okayama Prefecture
Closed	Wednesday
Payment methods	Cash PayPay, Merpay, au PAY
Reservations	Accepted
Smoking	Entirely non-smoking
Website	Tea Shop T’s CLOVER (Rakuten Ichiba)

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