In Japanese, the word “Hario” translates to “King of Glass”, but in the coffee world, the brand aims to be the king of coffee brewing equipment for coffee professionals and lovers to access any time, any place.
Hario has been synonymous with manufacturing heatproof glassware for the past 102 years, first selling laboratory products before expanding to household items. Baristas will largely resonate with the brand’s classic filter V60 drippers and coffee siphon, but a new wave of products have evolved as the brand continues to adapt to market needs.
“Hario is well known throughout the world. We have a proud history, but we want to show people that we are a brand that believes in innovation and collaborating with the needs of the coffee community, baristas, our suppliers, and leaders of the industry. We want to use our expertise and experience in crafting to continue making quality products that everyone can enjoy for many years to come,” says John Jang, Hario’s International Department Managing Director.
The Hario Switch is one such product that launched in Japan in March 2019, and infiltrated world markets several months later. This immersion brewing method allows baristas to easily change grind settings, play with different water temperatures, and produce consistent filter brews. It’s even become a brewing device of choice for many World Brewers Cup competitors in their compulsory service round.
“The immersion brew method with Hario Switch is quick and reduces the risks of inconsistency during filter brewing. Baristas can also dial-in brew recipes more easily,” says John.
“At Hario, we’ve been so surprised how popular this product has been, so much so that we need more production to keep up with demand, which includes our original glass model and ceramic version and its base colour variations, which have especially been popular in the Taiwanese market.
“We looked into the reasons for its popularity and found that many professionals were using it in their shops and in competition settings simply because it’s user-friendly, delivers a much higher brewing consistency, and is reproducible once you have a recipe and dial in. It’s exactly what baristas want: a consistent, quality driven product to use every day, every time they brew.”
Hario’s outdoor range has also skyrocketed with unexpected growth during COVID-19 when home brewing excelled.
“We believe bringing outdoor brewing products to the market gives opportunities both for coffee lovers to brew coffee during their outdoor adventures and for outdoor lovers to explore brewing good coffee. We hope that this will let more people around the world fall in love with coffee and access good coffee,” John says.
Hario launched the Hario Outdoor series with the outdoor version of essential products such as the metal V60 Dripper, Kettle and Server, as well as the Zebrang series including the Flat Dripper, Handy Coffee Mill, and Coffee Cannister.
“We are expanding the product range to include the Smart G Electric Hand Grinder with its travel pouch, and the V60 Paper Filter Travel Case. The V60 Paper Filter Travel Case is versatile enough to store some paper filters as well as the Zebrang Flat Dripper,” John says.
Coinciding with Hario’s product expansion is a new rebranding and logo to distinguish the flagship Hario V60 series from its Master Brand series thanks to simplified packaging colours: orange for V60 drippers and servers, green for filter papers, and blue for V60 kettles.
“We want to make it easier for people to understand the categories we have. We have heaps of brewing products and this new colour coding will make it easier for professionals and every day coffee lovers to access the products they need and want,” John says.
Hario exhibited at this year’s 10th edition of the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) on the Bombora stand, which commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Australian distributor, as well as the 102-year-old history of Hario.
“By exhibiting at MICE over the years, Hario has been able to showcase our products to the Australian market and gather more Hario fans over time. Exhibiting at MICE has always been a great and fun way for us to connect the Hario brand with coffee professionals and coffee lovers,” John says.
“Hario Brew Bar was a great success at MICE2022, and we will be running the Brew Bar again at MICE2023. It was so much fun to have coffee professionals, barista champions and coffee lovers to gather at our booth and connect over good coffee. I am looking forward to doing that again at our booth at MICE2023 and to meet more coffee lovers in Australia.”
Hario will also use the occasion to formally present its independent Hario Australia headquarters, in which it already has an established website and online shop.
“Australia is leading the world’s latest coffee culture trends, therefore we established Hario Australia in Melbourne. We would love to collaborate closely with the Australian coffee community to design coffee products with timeless and functional designs to help everyone find and brew their perfect cup,” says John.
Hario will gradually expand the range of products stocked in Australia, and in time, introduce its teaware, kitchenware, and many other product categories.
“We want to inspire more people all over the world to explore the world of coffee, and we would like to communicate our unique Hario story, showcase our point of difference, and be the preferred coffee equipment provider,” John says.
For more information, visit harioaustralia.com.au
This article appears in the August 2023 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
