Stories connecting with tomorrow.- PREX Island

Lecturers / Specialists Working style
Stories connecting with tomorrow.

Stories connecting with tomorrow.

Became the representative at the age of 27. Now, 45. I feel that I ran through those years. (by Mr. Nishitsuji)

It had been 115 years since its foundation when I became the representative in 2002. The industry was on the road to decline after a high economic growth period, and even the fact of being a long-established store did not help our company carry on business.
I definitely did not want to take over the fruit shop, but when it came to be in charge, I began to feel that I wanted to do something about my family business.
I wanted to take responsibility for what I do, so I asked all my relatives to resign because running a family business means all family member act like company presidents, and the relation in the company is influenced by the relation in the family.
I burned my bridges and decided to launch into processed food manufacturing and to make jam with the production area and variety of fruit in the product names.
It was the second foundation of the company.

Yoshino Fuyu persimmon jam and Osaka Kawachi fig jam. The connection is the brand strength. (by Ms. Masuda)

Adding the production area to product names helps customers feel attachment to the production area and become interested in fruit through jam, and also helps the products become a popular topic.
I believe that the change in the way of thinking such as drawing customers interests to the fruits themselves through branding and producing processed food is the strength of Sen Sou.
Nowadays, we see jam, the product name of which has the production area and variety of fruit, but there were not such products at that time, were there?
I think that Sen Sou made them first.
Manufacturing products, using fruit produced in one production area entails high-risk and high-cost, as there is a risk that the production would halt if the supply from the production area stops.

That’s right.The cost becomes high, and I also feel awkward mixing fruits from different production areas and varieties, as a fruiterer. (By Mr. Nishitsuji)

Actually, I always want customers to eat the fruit itself and to know how tasty fruit is, so additives are not used for our products to bring out the taste of the fruit.
We make products not as a jam manufacturer but as a fruit shop.
Farmers say that they would like fruit to be eaten raw. However, it is because they have little opportunity to know customers’ needs.
For example, when I am at sales, I hear that watermelons are sold well on the day before garbage collection and female customers do not want to peel satsumas because they do not want to ruin their nails.
Farmers obviously would like to sell their products at higher price to the buyers, as most fruits are harvested once a year.
What I make sure of when establishing good relations with such farmers is a stable supply and not to haggle.
Having a stable buyer makes farmers feel secure when they produce fruit.

Connection creates the future.

It also leads to making consumers feel secure, so we were asked by some companies and museums to start manufacturing new jams. (by Mr. Nishitsuji)

Now, we manufacture more than 100 types of jam including OEM.
What I was surprised to hear last year was that a customer asked me advice on making jam with swallow’s nest. I said to him, “It is tasteless!”
We have had various requests such as jams to sell as a museum shop goods which are matched to the artists at the exhibition, which was requested by a museum in Tokyo.
The variety of know-how and knowledge regarding jam making increases by receiving requests. This is our valuable asset.

Jam is also the most common way to process agricultural products, so I think that it is the know-how which Sen Sou can teach to people in developing countries.
Jam is a simple product so that what is contained in raw materials can directly be reflected in the jam.
When people stop eating raw fruit in various countries like in developed countries, processing technology may be necessary.
I think that we could help them by providing our know-how in such situations.

I also think that the keyword to conquer people’s lack of interest in fruit is “children”, so I would like to work on events to make children want to eat fruit.
Product sales is complicated and difficult to add value to, so I would like to develop businesses similar to catering such as cafés where fruit is served.
It is also important to make customers know how fruit grows before it is ready to consume.
Many people do not know what the flowers look like.
I would like customers to know that blueberries bear pretty and beautiful flowers and their leaves turn to red in autumn. It would be nice to hold workshops about processing fruit.

Let’s try.Let’s try connecting. (by Ms. Masuda)

Mr. Nishitsuji always agrees to trying to doing new things positively, so I appreciate it.
When you expand new things by connecting with someone, it is vital for both sides to make an effort and to show the attitude to try without weighing up whether it is profitable or not.

Oct 2, 2019

• Date : October 2, 2019
• Name : Nishitsuji Hiromichi（Representative Director, Sen Sou Co., Ltd.）× Masuda Takumi (Twocan Consulting）