Ippondo Okayama Soja Store 〜 A health-conscious loaf you’ll never tire of, even if you eat it every day. A specialty bakery that bakes fresh bread every hour.

Interview with Sakiko Nagano of Ippondo Okayama Soja

We spoke with Sakiko, wife of Yuichiro Nagano and owner of Ippondo Okayama Soja.

Being impressed by Ippondo’s bread inspired them to open their shop

Please tell us how you came to open the shop.

Nagano (surname only)

There was an Ippondo shop in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, where we had been transferred, and that was where I first learned about Ippondo.

My husband Yuichiro hardly ever ate bread before, but when he tried Ippondo’s bread, he thought it was really delicious.

So I looked up Ippondo online and found that it was expanding through franchising and recruiting franchise owners.

We had always dreamed of becoming independent and owning a shop, so we decided to leave our salaried jobs and give it a try.

Another appealing thing about Ippondo was that its training thoroughly teaches you the know-how of breadmaking and shop management.

Also, Ippondo offers a lot of freedom, allowing each shop to express its own character. That was another reason we decided to open.
Each shop can choose which types of bread to sell, within certain limits.

Being able to choose the area where we opened was another reason.
At the time, Ippondo had not yet opened a shop in Okayama Prefecture.

What’s more, Soja is where I’m from.
I thought it would work well both for running a shop and for our personal lives.

Healthy bread made with carefully selected ingredients and no additives, that you never tire of eating every day

What makes Ippondo distinctive?

Nagano

Ippondo’s defining feature is its specialization in bread.

What’s more, our bread is healthy because it’s made with carefully selected ingredients and contains no additives.
You never get tired of eating it every day.

Many of our customers are seniors or people whose children have grown up.
These days, bread is available cheaply at convenience stores and supermarkets, but I think many people want to spend money on good-quality products.

On the other hand, we also have families with children who want to give their kids good-quality products.

The July 2018 Heavy Rain

The July 2018 Heavy Rain caused major damage around Soja. How did it affect your shop?

Nagano

One of our staff members at the time lived in Mabi.
Also, Mabi is just west of Soja’s urban area, across the Takahashi River, so many of our customers were from Mabi as well.

The Shimobara district of Soja City was also affected by flooding and a factory explosion, along with Mabi.
A classmate of mine lived in Shimobara and suffered damage.

That’s why the heavy-rain disaster felt very close to home.

I helped clean up my classmate’s damaged home and handed out bread to people affected by the disaster.

I’ve also helped with events held regularly in Shimobara and taken part in fundraising, hoping to contribute even a little to the recovery.

Flexible management to keep the shop going for regular customers

Please tell us about your future plans or any challenges you face.

Nagano

It’s been more than six years since we opened, and we now have many regular customers who say, “It has to be bread from this shop.”

We want to keep the shop going for those regular customers.

Our goal is to keep the shop going for a long time by reviewing how we run it from time to time, adapting to circumstances, and managing it flexibly.

Ippondo, a specialty bread shop whose bread never gets tiresome, even when eaten every day

As a shop specializing in bread, Ippondo clearly takes great care over its bread.

Its appeal lies in carefully selected ingredients and health-conscious products such as low-carb bread.

When I tried the bread, I could enjoy its flavor and found it delicious even without adding anything.

My family liked it too, and I really felt that it was “bread you never get tired of eating every day.”

I recommend it not only to people who usually have bread for breakfast, but also to those who prefer rice.

Ippondo Okayama Soja Information

Name	Ippondo Okayama Soja
Address	2-7-20 Chuo, Soja City
Contact	0866-37-6248
Parking	Available 5 spaces
Hours	9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (closes when sold out)
Closed	Tuesdays and irregular days First Wednesday of the month
Payment methods	Cash PayPay accepted
Reservations	Available Bread can be reserved by phone
Seating	None
Smoking	Entirely non-smoking
Website	Freshly Baked Bread Specialty Shop Ippondo Okayama Soja (official X account)

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