Decision to Open a Store Thanks to Ties with the Embassy of Ecuador! Yokohama-based Craft Chocolate Specialty Store VANILLABEANS to Offer Limited-Time Raw Chocolate Sandwiches on April 5th (Sun) at 'Gateway Studio' Directly Connected to JR Takanawa Gateway Station

Chocolate Design Co., Ltd. (Representative Director: Masahiro Otsuki, Headquarters: Yokohama City) operates VANILLABEANS, a craft chocolate specialty store from Yokohama. To commemorate the grand opening of "TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY" and in conjunction with "FESTIVAL PARADE," VANILLABEANS will open a pop-up store for one day only, on April 5th (Sunday), at "Gateway Studio," an event space directly connected to Takanawa Gateway Station.

This pop-up store is made possible by an invitation from the Embassy of Ecuador, with whom VANILLABEANS has deepened its relationship through the ongoing origin country support initiative "Project to Grow Cacao Forests Together" in Ecuador. On the day of the event, popular sweets using Ecuadorian cacao, such as "Chocolat," a brand-representative raw chocolate cookie sandwich, and "Tablet Chocolat," made with carefully roasted cacao beans, will be available.

Furthermore, 100% of the sales from this event will be accumulated as funds for the origin country support project activities.

Store Information

Date: April 5, 2026 (Sunday) 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Location: Gateway Studio (2-21-1 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo)

Admission: Free

Products for Sale

Product Name: "Chocolat Ecuador"

Price: 496 yen (tax included)

A limited-edition flavor of "Chocolat," VANILLABEANS' long-selling product, which features melting raw chocolate coated with special couverture and sandwiched between crispy butter cookies. It uses 60% Ecuadorian cacao, roasted in-house, to create a smooth ganache. The aroma of roasted cacao is followed by a fruity taste.

Product Name: "Chocolat Ecuador & Banana"

Price: 496 yen (tax included)

A limited-edition flavor of the raw chocolate cookie sandwich "Chocolat." The exquisite balance of banana aroma and taste that spreads the moment it enters your mouth, combined with the fruity and fragrant notes of Ecuadorian cacao, is truly delightful.

Product Name: "Tablet Chocolat Ecuador 70"

Price: 756 yen (tax included)

A chocolate bar made with the globally rare "Arriba Cacao" beans from Ecuador. It has a mild bitterness like coffee with low acidity and a rich almond-like aroma that fills the mouth.

100% of Sales Proceeds to Fund Activities: About the Origin Country Support Project

The "Project to Grow Cacao Forests Together" is an initiative that aims to improve the quality of life in cacao-producing countries, mitigate climate change, and conserve biodiversity, by using a portion of VANILLABEANS product sales as activity funds to support young cacao farmers. Currently, the project is engaged in planting and cultivating cacao trees in the Republic of Ecuador. VANILLABEANS provided approximately 3,130 cacao seedlings in May 2024 and approximately 6,000 seedlings in May 2025. We will continue this long journey with our customers until the cacao is cultivated, harvested, and becomes a source of income for the farmers.

Furthermore, the harvested cacao beans will be processed into chocolate at our store, aiming to return value to customers as "Farm to Bar" products. As part of the project activities, a third courtesy visit was made to the Embassy of Ecuador in Japan in June 2025.

About VANILLABEANS

VANILLABEANS is a craft chocolate specialty store from Yokohama, an international fair trade certified operator, and a member of the JICA Sustainable Cacao Platform. Established in 2000, it started with online sales and now operates multiple physical cafes, mainly in Yokohama Minato Mirai.

For many years, it has continued its sustainable initiatives, accumulating sales to fund projects such as the construction of an integrated elementary and junior high school in Ghana in the past, aiming to create systems and projects where everyone involved in chocolate can smile. Currently, cacao planting and cultivation support projects are underway in the Republic of Ecuador.