"Saizeriya's Agricultural Revolution - Considering Merchandising from the Roots of the Restaurant Industry"

Saizeriya, known as an Italian cuisine chain, has its own farm and factory in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. The background for this lies in the founder Masakaki Yasuhiko's philosophy of "providing delicious food to make customers happy." To achieve this, it's essential to thoroughly pursue the quality and efficiency of ingredients provided in the stores. This pursuit led them to the realm of agriculture.

Saizeriya engages in contract farming in Fukushima Prefecture, cultivating lettuce and rice. They provide self-grown seedlings to local farmers for free, under contracts that require specific varieties and standards to be followed. This approach ensures suitable lettuce for store use and enhances farmers' income and efficiency. Additionally, at their factory, they mill the collected rice and cook the turmeric rice used in their signature "Milan-style Doria." Here again, they emphasize specific varieties and cooking methods.

Saizeriya entered the agriculture sector in 2000 when they had only 17 stores. However, with the goal of reaching 1000 stores, founder Yasuhiko envisioned stable ingredient supply and quality control as crucial. Faced with challenging negotiations with farmers, they decided to establish their own experimental farm, the Shirakawa Kogen Farm, focusing on producing lettuce and herbs.

Leading this initiative is Yayoshi Mitsuhiraki, the Director of Yayoshi Kogen Farm Co., Ltd. Though he initially worked in a different department, Yasuhiko instructed him to go to Fukushima. Having known Yasuhiko even before joining the company, Yayoshi was well aware of agriculture's significance for Saizeriya's business. However, he encountered many failures on-site. Still, Yasuhiko's attitude of not labeling failures as such provided valuable support.

Yayoshi cherishes Yasuhiko's words, "Plan merchandising from the root," engraving them in his heart. He explains, "We reverse-engineer from the dishes served to customers in the restaurants to determine how to develop the agriculture field." With a deep understanding of store and factory operations, Yayoshi's love for Saizeriya is evident.

While Saizeriya's engagement in agriculture might seem driven solely by efficiency, that perspective alone might mislead. While it's true they prioritize efficiency, their fervor for providing tastier offerings through merchandising underpins their work in stores, factories, and agriculture.

Saizeriya's agricultural revolution began at the very foundation of the restaurant industry. The essence of their approach and boundless enthusiasm might indeed provide significant insights to the agriculture sector.