"A Just Right Table" for Every Day. Enjoying Fresh Vegetables and Side Dishes Supports Farmers and Reduces Food Loss. Cafe & Deli "better is" Opens July 7th in Jiyugaoka, Tokyo.

CNC Corporation (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter CNC), which develops cafe businesses and food services in collaboration with Nestlé, will open "better is," a cafe and delicatessen (prepared foods) brand with the concept of "A Just Right Table" for every day, on July 7th in Jiyugaoka, Tokyo.

A "Just Right" Food Experience Where You Can Enjoy Lunch Menus with Fresh, Carefully Selected Vegetables and Take-Home Side Dishes.

Opening in Jiyugaoka, a residential area slightly removed from the city center, this cafe and deli features lunch bowls made with fresh seasonal vegetables, take-home sales of in-house prepared side dishes and vegetables, and bagels made with an authentic boiling method. With the desire to deliver a "just right" food experience that allows customers to enjoy seasonal vegetables more easily and deliciously, enriching their dining tables even amidst busy lives, we have prepared our cafe menus and experiences.

For example, the "Balancing Deli Bowl," a main lunch menu item, is a bowl that can be enjoyed with changing flavors using fresh vegetables and side dishes, seasoned with spices and dashi. The vegetables used are seasonal varieties such as potatoes, kale, carrots, and onions, which are regularly delivered without going through the market from "Tagayasu Club," an "Ethical Certification" farm (Note 1) in Sanmu City, Chiba, that practices agriculture in harmony with the local environment and climate. A key feature of better is is that the ingredients are carefully cultivated by producers. These vegetables are sold not only in eat-in menus but also as take-home side dishes like "Hearty Simmered Potatoes" to add an extra dish to your "just right table," and the vegetables themselves are sold at the store. Furthermore, we are making efforts to fully experience the value of vegetables by upcycling parts that are normally discarded, such as the peels and cores of vegetables like turnips and beets, transforming them into "Fermented Vegetable Dressing."

(Note 1 "Ethical Certification" Press Release https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000006.000143480.html)

A Place Where Dining Tables Connect with Local Agriculture, Allowing Participation in Farmer Support and Reduction of Food Loss/Waste Without Pressure.

At our store, we aim to create opportunities for daily dining tables and local agriculture to connect naturally, not just by offering lunch and cafe menus, but by choosing vegetables, knowing the producers, and savoring the seasons.

For instance, knowing that the vegetables are grown using farming methods that respect the local environment, and by eating or purchasing at better is, you are actually contributing to stable income for farmers and reducing food loss of non-standard vegetables, leading to the practice of ethical consumption without pressure. Additionally, we are making efforts to reduce food waste at the store by growing vegetables and herbs in the garden outside the store so customers can feel closer to food and agriculture, and by installing a composter to turn food scraps like vegetable peels into compost.

We are realizing the introduction of farmers from whom we procure ingredients, the in-store garden, and the composter with the support of the General Incorporated Foundation Japan Incubation Center and "megukuru," which aim to revitalize local industries (Note 2). In the future, we are planning events that will naturally connect daily dining tables with local agriculture, such as market talk events with farmers, workshops where children can experience vegetable cultivation, harvesting, and distribution, and a regional collaboration art project with social artist Luna Kuranaka to create paints from garden soil and discarded vegetables with local children.

(Note 2 "JIQ Supports better is" Press Release https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000007.000143480.html)

In this way, "better is" aims to be a place where people, communities, and agriculture are loosely connected through lunch offerings, composting, and events. Furthermore, "better is" functions not only as a store name but also as a brand with the concept of "A Just Right Table" for every day, with plans to expand into original bagel brands and more in the future.

Store Overview

Name: better is (Pronunciation: Betāizu)

Location: Jiyugaoka Fukoku Seimei Bldg. 1F, 7-2-9 Okusawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

Business Hours: 10:00 AM - 7:30 PM (Last Order 7:00 PM. Lunch menu available from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM)

Irregular holidays

*July 7th (Tue), the opening day only, will start at 12:00 PM.

Seating Capacity: 44 seats

Inquiries: TEL: 03-5758-2557 E-mail: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betteris_jiyugaoka

Contents

【Eat-in】

We offer lunch sets with deli bowls made with seasonal vegetables procured from "Ethical Certification" farms like "Tagayasu Club" in Sanmu City, Chiba, as well as salads, desserts, coffee menus, and seasonal vegetable smoothies.

- Balancing Deli Bowl

A light bowl to enjoy balanced deli items and barley rice. You can enjoy flavor changes until the end by adding spices and dashi as you like.

1,408 yen

- Homemade Salted Koji Chicken Salad

A colorful salad combining several types of seasonal leafy greens with homemade salted koji chicken and seasonal vegetables. Enjoy with our homemade dressing made with seasonal vegetables and fruits.

1,650 yen

- Caramel Cheesecake

A cheesecake combining the rich flavor of cheese with slightly bitter burnt caramel. Its smooth texture and fragrant aftertaste pair perfectly with coffee.

715 yen

- Field Smoothies (Green, Red, Orange)

Colorful three-color smoothies packed with seasonal vegetables and fruits grown in the fields. Enjoy the natural taste of the ingredients casually by choosing according to your mood and the season.

Each 770 yen

*Other menu items are also available. All prices include 10% tax.

【Take-out Sales】

We sell fresh vegetable side dishes and salads by weight, as well as bagels made with an authentic boiling method, perfect for adding an extra dish to your table.

- Today's Recommended Side Dishes (by weight, from 100g)

Seasonal side dishes carefully prepared in-store, sold in your desired quantity. Recommended when you want to add another dish to your daily meal.

From 410 yen

- Japanese Style Leafy Salad Base (from 50g)

A blend of several types of leafy greens such as mizuna, salad chrysanthemum, and salad spinach. A by-weight salad that allows you to easily enjoy a variety of leafy greens that are difficult to gather at home, in your desired quantity, from a single serving.

From 205 yen

- 8 Types of Bagels

Chewy bagels baked using an authentic boiling method passed down for 28 years. We offer 8 types, from classic to seasonal limited editions, for you to enjoy according to your mood and the season.

From 302 yen

- Tagayasu's Carrot Juice

A rich carrot juice made with generous amounts of carrots from "Tagayasu Club" in Sanmu City, Chiba, with a spreading natural sweetness. A drink that allows you to taste the natural sweetness of carrots as they are.

626 yen

*Other items are also available. All prices include 8% tax.

【Other Initiatives】

- Cultivating vegetables and herbs in the garden outside the store

- "megukuru Compost Project" for composting food scraps such as vegetable peels

- Events (planned) that will naturally connect daily dining tables with local agriculture, such as market talk events with farmers, workshops where children can experience vegetable cultivation, harvesting, and distribution, and art projects in collaboration with social artist Luna Kuranaka.

In-store garden compost Luna Kuranaka

CNC Corporation (CNC) Overview

We are a company that provides solutions specialized for cafes. We develop and operate flagship cafe services for companies and brands, including the operation of Nestlé physical stores in Sannomiya and Harajuku, and employee welfare cafe services. We propose cafe solutions tailored to diverse needs, from office spaces to urban areas, connecting people and companies through coffee and food. Through "better is," we are creating a new cafe experience that naturally connects daily dining tables with local agriculture.

https://cnc-corp.jp/

General Incorporated Foundation Japan Incubation Center (JIQ) Overview

JIQ promotes incubation (support for startups and businesses) for individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises active in the fields of regional industry, traditional culture, art, technology, and the natural environment in Japan. Through this, we aim to create employment, diversify the economy, enhance attractiveness, and achieve sustainable regional growth through various activities.

JIQ: http://www.jiq.or.jp/