Ameen’s Oven

Before new year’s I left some copies of LEAF at Ameen’s Oven.

Ameen’s is an amazing bread shop near Nishinomiya, north of Kobe. The baker, Mishima-san, has a small shop but makes the most incredible bread. Ichikura buns, ichikura sticks, dark rich brownies, and more…all delicious. He works in the oven in the back room all day, and amazing bread comes out.

Even better, he is a natural businessman. Not only does he have a great product (his amazing bread), but his business has real unity and integrity. For example, his packaging is all clean and simple…brown paper bags, natural paper business cards, simple wraps for the bread, or clear plastic with a golden tie for just a spark of color.

His logo is a wonderful ink drawing that reflects the spirit of his shop (you can see it on his home page). He does special limited seasonal breads, such as apple bread in autumn. They are even more delicious than usual, often using special flavors, and you have to grab them before they run out.

Before moving to his new shop, he used to work in a small shop under the tracks of the Hankyu line. He was only open one day a week (the rest was internet sales), and people would line up to get into the tiny store and walk off with brown paper bags full of bread.

Now he has a cafe that is open most of the week. It has one large round table, and the table outside displays his philosophy…One Oven, One Table and One Love.

The bread is great, and everything he does has a message of unity, love and quality. Even big businesses could learn something from Ameen’s. If you want to order some of his bread, here is his site (I recommend the ichikura sticks). I was honored that he enjoyed LEAF and agreed to put a few copies in his cafe for sale. Even if you don’t buy the book, please try the bread!

Ameen’s Oven