Miso and life drama 「nice to miso you」

Miso and life drama

For me, miso is a drama of life.

Miso soup boy has gained the pleasure of deepening from the "Miso perspective", from the food culture of the family to the structure of the economy.

And 2020. Miso's love story is about to enter a new chapter.

I'm still an unknown newcomer, but I spelled out my dream story as much as I could. I hope you can read it if you like!

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Character：Miso soup boy

A person who designs an experience that falls in love with miso.

Under the slogan, "Changing the way people meet miso," I propose a sustainable consumption cycle of "Miso that has a rich world view even in small-lot production," mediating miso breweries and consumers.

Until now, I have been working on “Miso soup stands” in Japan and Taiwan, planning special events at retail stores, branding Miso brewery, and planning miso soup products. I will continue to plan "Nice to miso you" encounters in the future.

Prologue 「Miso soup is a family taste」

My parents ran a small caterer in the town. Every day, my family surrounded a large table and ate “dishes made at a caterer” as dinner. The “local miso soup” I drank there is still remembered.

The caterer my grandfather started closed when I was little, but the taste of memories has not faded. The family's dining table has an “unique culture” and I thought it was a source of sensitivity that shaped my values.

Miso familiar to Japanese is the starting point of Japanese food culture. There are memories of the family as many as the miso soup. That's why I want to meet a special miso as a companion to spend my life with.

With such a wish, it became Miso soup boy.

Main story 「Changing the way people meet miso」

Back in time In 2015, I came across a miso storehouse called "Gomi Shoyu". A miso brewery that has nurtured the local food culture as a town miso brewery for over 150 years in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture. The brewer who called me "Friends" on the day I first met him has been a special place since then, and there was always "Gomi Shoyu Miso" on the dining table.

I gradually started traveling to Kofu. Then, when asked about my favorite miso, I came to answer "gomishoyu". The reason was that I was glad to think that the miso was not only delicious but also something that had meaning in my life. The miso product was multiplied by context and affection, and I felt that my own small world was born on the dining table.

For a long time, the way to select miso has not changed much.

Currently, the oligopoly in the miso market is gradually increasing by major manufacturers, and the selection of products is based on experience, so the opportunity to encounter miso of your choice is limited. Therefore, we rely on package information such as reduced salt, no additives, and low prices.

On the other hand, there are about 1,100 miso breweries in Japan, and there is a craft miso that has a rich worldview even in small-scale production and reflects the local food culture. Its rich flavors are all different.

For example, there is a beautiful sweet miso in "Akita Prefecture" that feels the appeal of rice. There is also a local miso in Gifu-Hachiman, Gifu prefecture that is prepared by adding clean water. Miso reflects many local food cultures.

There may not be any urgent living issues in choosing your own miso in today's life. However, I feel that the rich lifestyle and food culture of my own origin is created by liking a special world view.

Even if it is one cup of miso soup, a person who drinks twice in the morning and evening drinks a total of 730 miso soups every year. If you live 80 years, you will spend 60,000 meals with miso.

If you can make miso soup using your favorite miso, it will surely have a positive effect on your life as well as your loved ones and your precious children, and grow up into a unique food culture.

I believe in the value of choosing your favorite miso, and I want to change the way people meet miso.

And I will focus on "three activities" in 2020.

Challenge ⑴: Update the experience of choosing miso

In the future of choosing miso, instead of competing with superiority or inferiority, be able to verbalize each person's taste well and purchase it smoothly with compatible miso. On top of that, the ideal cycle is for miso breweries and consumers to interact and increase loving consumption experiences and food culture.

I want to support such a consumption cycle. My role is to design experiences and build relationships. I aim to be a matchmaker for miso.

And I want to realize a sustainable miso market while keeping in mind the flow of "maximizing the value of craft miso → experiencing the selection → creating a circulating consumption cycle".

For example, experience of selecting miso. I interviewed retail customers for two days about "Miso purchasing choice" to find out the current situation.

▼ Negative cycle of miso selection
① Interest
・ I want to find a delicious miso when my child is born
② Issues
・ But there is no decision axis to choose miso
・ I don't understand even just looking at the product package
・ I cannot try the taste with a small amount
・ I can't fail because I use it for one month after purchasing
・ I am worried about my family's preference
③ Select
・ Choose a famous miso because it cannot be failed
・ There is no strong complaint, so just use it
・ The next time you buy, you will be lost again
・ As a result, love for miso does not deepen
・ Become a selective refugee

By preparing the following experiences, you may be able to update how to select miso. (Image quote: cotogoto)

▼ Positive cycle of miso selection
① Interest
・ I want to find a delicious miso when my child is born
② Experience
・ Request a kit to meet the best miso
・ 5 types of trial miso arrive at home
・ Since it is small size, it is easy to compare and examine
・ You can understand your preferences in the chart
・ Miso that fits is ordered for home size
・ You can Learn about miso with “Miso brewery journal”
③ Select
・ Repeat decision as family also likes
・ I want to recommend it to my friends naturally
・ As a result, it will be a real miso that you choose

Although the above is an idea, I am interested in planning a realistic plan while understanding the issues and values of miso.

Challenge ⑵: Aim for global expansion!

The second point is to challenge the world where miso consumption is increasing.

Exports of miso are on the rise. The miso market has been growing continuously since 2013. Because Japanese food was registered as an “intangible cultural heritage” and also influenced by healthy lifestyles.

However, in order to generate continuous profits from overseas exports, the situation is severe unless the export price from Japan is low (average 200 yen / kg). Small miso brewery are becoming more difficult to participate in growing market trends. Because of rising raw material prices and difficult trade procedures.

Nevertheless, craft miso with a rich worldview should surely be able to compete overseas, as "specialty coffee" and "chocolate" with special flavors designated by the farm were evaluated in Japan.

While I create a bridge for the world's chefs and consumers, they can freely choose craft miso for each brewery, and the food culture of each country is mixed with Japanese miso. And if we could create a cycle that creates new value in the world through miso. I have such a dream.

The first "Miso soup stand" was held in Taiwan in April 2019, and I felt the possibility of a favorable response from overseas. I want to tell the world about the diversity of Japanese craft miso.

For that reason, I would like to challenge the world to increase the value of "craft miso". The slogan is "Nice to miso you".

Challenge ⑶: Become a miso brewery partner

I want to be a person who can sympathize with Miso brewery worries, multiply my skills and specialists, and realize Miso brewery dream together.

There are limits to how many people can handle miso production, marketing activities, branding, and PR. But with a flexible team, what Miso brewery wants to do is no longer a dream.

I aim to be a person who can always support miso brewery!

Story Goal ⑴: Creating a Sustainable Food System

The current miso market is set by slowing domestic consumption and expanding exports. However, the domestic direct sales rate of miso is about 2.2%, and overseas exports are centered on major manufacturers. There should be much more to be done.

I want to create a new experience, sales, and a continuous consumption cycle for "traditional food system x small-scale craft miso with rich world view". And I want to return our hidden potential to proven profits.

Story Goal ⑵： I want to increase the loving eating time

I like farmers and have been involved in jobs that can support them. Because of that, my dining table was lined with vegetables shared by farmers, and even though I lived in the city, I was delighted to feel the presence of the farmers in my meals.

Even in the traditional Japanese seasoning "Miso", I make an important encounter between people and miso beyond the simple product. And through a cup of miso soup, I want to increase our “loving eating time”.

Past activities

I've been working on the following projects, mainly on contract projects. I'm working on either "changing the miso consumption experience" or "creating increase our “loving eating time".

・ Miso soup stand (Japan, overseas)
・ Sale of craft miso
・ Event planning for retail stores
・ Miso brewery branding
・ Miso brewery tour planning and operation
・ Original miso workshop etc.

Past career

・Experience：organic food delivery company → Food distribution platform for CHEF → D2C platform of food, individual contract
・Qualifications：Food buyer 7 years, business development 1 year, branding 1 year
・Experience in buyer：Sales to producers, product planning, purchase plan adjustment, planting contracts, food ordering, SNS management, planning of customer experience events
・Experience in business development：Planning / sales for corporate / local government utilizing management resources, operation of planning contents, promotion of business alliance, etc.
・Experience in producer's branding work：coverage, photography, content production, website / online shop construction, SNS support, etc.

Future interests

・ Planning and designing of beloved brands and customer experiences

Aside: why miso ?

There are two triggers.

The first was the quest to learn how to live from fermentation. In 2013, when I started working at "Daichi wo mamorukai", I learned the relationship between nature and humans from a respected farmer and the brewery "Terada Honke", and my current values were formed. And I started exploring fermentation to deepen my inner self. I think that what happens in nature is always essential.

The second is DNA to love miso. Aichi Prefecture, where I was born, is famous for its miso food culture and grew up familiar with miso from a young age. Also, since 2014, he has been running a project to grow soybeans and make miso by renting farmers' fields. So it was very natural to choose miso as the theme for my fermentation quest.

The above two points are "Miso and life drama - Introductory -". The depth of the story has been deepened by the encounter with Miso brewery.

Epilogue 「Life with miso soup」

What is miso soup for Japanese?

Morning miso soup made by my mother
Miso soup that I ate with a company colleague,
Daily miso soup made with my loved one,
Miso soup after drinking with my friends,
Family miso soup that I want my children to drink.

Miso soup always blends in with the time of close friends and warms every moment of life.

There is miso soup that people are pleased with.
In other words, the happy memories of the dining table increase.

First, why don't you start searching for your favorite miso that will warm you and your loved ones?

- To be continued -

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