A Tempe café tucked between downtown and State Route 143 is betting that ingredients flown in from a small farm outside Tokyo, paired with deliberately low prices, will keep customers coming back several times a week rather than just once. Buffables Café, opened by brothers Craig and Grant Logan at 1325 W. University Drive, built its menu around what the owners describe as high-quality ingredients sourced from around the world, according to Your Valley.
Craig Logan's connection to Japan goes back to his time at Boeing, where he traveled frequently for work and developed ties to a small farm outside Tokyo, per the same report from Your Valley. That relationship now supplies the café's matcha, which the Logans say was harvested entirely in the spring and summer of this year and is flown directly from the farm rather than purchased through a distributor. On its own site, Buffables describes its matcha as directly sourced from a friend in Sayama, Japan, hand whisked to reduce oxidation and bitterness, and the café says it sources its hojicha the same way, directly from a farm in Sayama.
From Boeing Boardrooms to a Coffee Counter
Before opening Buffables, Craig Logan grew up in the hotel business alongside his father and later lived in parts of China, Thailand and Singapore, according to Your Valley's report. He still speaks Mandarin on the café's social media accounts, the outlet notes. Grant Logan, who is two years younger than his brother, lived in New York and Seattle before relocating to Arizona and walking away from a corporate job to build what he describes as a comfortable third space, according to the same account.
Inside, the café leans into that third-space idea with orange-hued décor and seating meant for remote workers and friends catching up, per Your Valley. Grant Logan handles much of the experimentation in the back of house, testing flavors and recipes that eventually land on the menu, the outlet reports.
A Pickle Drink Born at a Convention
One of the stranger items on the menu traces back to a restaurant industry convention, where Craig and Grant Logan sampled a pickle drink that stuck with them, Your Valley reports. Buffables now offers its own version, a lotus energy drink mixed with pickle and lime juice, described as less sweet and more salty, according to the outlet. The name Buffables itself grew out of the word buffed, Craig Logan has said, per Your Valley's reporting.
The menu also draws on ingredients from well beyond Japan. A separate report from PhoenixBites describes coffee roasted in small batches in Oregon, unsweetened açaí from Brazil and fresh-pressed organic juices rounding out the lineup — that outlet noted it received background information, pricing and ingredient details from the restaurant's public relations team and owners. Buffables' own site lists a strawberry matcha drink made with strawberry puree, Vermont golden maple syrup, Madagascar vanilla and banana milk, alongside a house-brewed chai also sweetened with the same Vermont maple syrup.
Keeping Prices Down on Purpose
Craig Logan has said sourcing quality ingredients takes time, but he has deliberately chosen not to pass the full cost onto customers. He told Your Valley he would rather earn less per drink and have customers return multiple times a week than charge $12 for a single drink. Nearby employees and business owners already stop in for lunch looking for new flavors, he said, according to the outlet's report.
Buffables describes its food as seed-oil-free and refined-sugar-free on its about page, part of what the café frames as an effort to improve every dish and drink through ingredients, presentation and taste. The café is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends, per Your Valley's reporting.
