On December 21, 2016, we at EARLY BIRDS were able to celebrate our 4th anniversary. We have been able to make it this far thanks to the support of so many people. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude. Thank you so much.
When we celebrated our 3rd anniversary last year, I wrote at length about my feelings.
Now that we are at the end of the year, I find myself telling almost everyone I meet that "the year went by in a flash." I'm sure everyone feels that way, but for us, this past year has, as always, "gone by in a flash."
Looking back at our activities in 2016, it has been another action-packed year.
We started off in January with our Izu training camp. The opening of Pine Fields Market and Culture Club, which had been moving at a rapid pace since the end of the previous year. We were further powered up by the addition of more of our important places and friends.
At the end of February, we traveled to the U.S. We experienced a great deal of the "real deal" in San Francisco and Portland. Every time we go to America, we gain more friends to say hello to and more people we want to see.
March and April were a continuous series of preparations and meetings for events. And then, SUKIMA FARM launched. It was a great opportunity for us to start growing vegetables on a small scale within the city, and to feel the process of how the vegetables we eat daily are produced.
In May, we set up shop at Mori Michi Ichiba. The collaborative booth "SNEAKS" with our close allies kakuozan larder was truly grueling, but it was the best three days ever.
June saw the second Gourmet Century Ride held in Asuke. Then, a bike trip to Izu Oshima. Many of the overseas friends we admire came to visit Japan, and we were able to enjoy ourselves together through cycling.
July was the launch party for the Aichi issue of d design travel. Thanks to this magazine, many new encounters were born. We were honored to be asked to handle the catering out of the many shops in Aichi Prefecture, making it a very valuable experience.
In August, we held RIDEALIVE 2016, our third one so far. We had a blast using the Mikawa region as our stage. And once the event settled down, we started a futsal team. We began having fun as a new community that includes both customers and staff.
In September, we spent our days traveling to interesting shops in Nagano, Shizuoka, Tokyo, and Mie every week, with a mind for training. Visiting wonderful shops in various places became a good time for us to think about what we should be doing ourselves.
October was the pop-up shop for Deepers Wear. It was a fun few days with them, who are now widely popular. The time we spent with everyone, who we can now call family, was irreplaceable.
November was setting up shop at Nobeyama Cyclocross. Setting up shop in the freezing cold of Nobeyama is a once-a-year festival where we can meet cyclists from all over the country even in harsh conditions, so we were always able to enjoy it with a smile. It was also a good opportunity to have our first joint shop with PFM.
December was the CIRCLES 10th anniversary party. For me personally, 10 years have passed since I first met Circles. I am simply grateful to be able to help expand the big circle of people who are creating history together. How happy I would be if I could continue to be in this circle that spreads through cycling for the next 10 years.
And now, here we are.
Of course, we have always valued our daily operations above all else, putting our hearts into our cooking and customer service. Planning events during that time has been very fun, and I am grateful that we were able to participate in such interesting events again this year. I am truly happy that we have been recognized, little by little, as a morning shop in the city, and compared to when we first started, I am now able to see many lively morning scenes from the kitchen.
We have continued to take on challenges in our own way, hit many walls, but every time we kept going without giving up, there were always many smiling faces ahead. No matter which photo I look back on, there are always many people around us. I will continue to work hard, never forgetting to be grateful to those people.
With a theme of "The Force (4th) Awakens," we will strive to create a shop and organize events that "betray" everyone's expectations in a good way.
We look forward to your continued support as EARLY BIRDS enters its 5th year.
EARLY BIRDS Owner Keita Ohira