I love coffee shops. It’s not just because I love coffee, which I do. I think it’s because one place can do so much. A good coffee shop is not just about a cup of coffee, but it’s about community, warmth, interaction, ambiance, music — in short, it’s about a warm and inviting environment.
That’s why, over 5 years ago, we started a new endeavor as the Paz team: to open a local coffee shop. The undertaking was epic, because although we had a lot of experience drinking coffee and going to coffee shops, we had no experience running a coffee shop, let alone figuring out setting up a business in Japan where the laws, customs and language are so different.
Fast forward 5 years. Now we’ve survived COVID and the coffee shop has been well established in the community. It is all those things we love about a good coffee shop and more. The more is the fact that the coffee shop is also the place where our Paz Church has its Sunday services. Our Paz Coffee Shop is about so much more than a good cup of coffee and a nice environment — it’s a life-giving environment.
So when the opportunity came to make a commercial for Paz Coffee Shop, I knew we wanted our first official commercial to be special and unique. So I enlisted the help of my friend Geordie, an actual filmmaker with a very different set of skills and we went to work.