Sakamoto Keiran: From egg production to sales, a specialty egg shop that grows with the times.

Interview with Akira Sakamoto, Representative Director of Sakamoto Keiran Co., Ltd.

Akira Sakamoto is the second-generation Representative Director of Sakamoto Keiran Co., Ltd.

Together with his father, Yasuhiro Sakamoto, the former Representative Director (now Chairman), he has developed Sakamoto Keiran’s business.

We asked Akira Sakamoto about the secret behind the company’s popularity in the community as an egg shop.

The background behind the creation of an all-round player in the egg industry

What does “an all-round player in the egg industry” mean?

Sakamoto (honorifics omitted)

In 2019, we reviewed our strengths to reassess Sakamoto Keiran’s brand image.

In addition to the egg wholesaling business we have continued since our founding, we handle egg production, processing, and direct sales. A defining feature of Sakamoto Keiran is that we can take on every kind of business related to eggs.

With eggs, we can create all kinds of products.

So, as a brand strategy for surviving in the egg industry, we adopted the phrase “an all-round player in the egg industry.”

It expresses our determination to thrive like an all-round player in the world of sports.

Is it unusual for a company to handle everything from egg production to direct sales?

Sakamoto

There are other companies that handle egg-related businesses, such as production and direct sales, from start to finish.

However, Sakamoto Keiran has a strength all its own.

Sakamoto Keiran specializes in processing eggs into prepared foods, and has made tamagoyaki, egg tofu, and dashimaki tamago.

In fact, our strength comes from our history of providing industrial meals to companies in the industrial district, reflecting the strong influence of the local character of Mizushima.

We continue to make products by drawing on the skills we have cultivated throughout Sakamoto Keiran’s history.

Was there something that helped you recognize this strength?

Sakamoto

I once showed employees of a company that was helping us develop our brand strategy around our processing plant.

Since the scenes inside the factory were part of my everyday life, I didn’t think they would inspire any new ideas, but they seemed unusual to people from outside the company.

Watching freshly cooked tamagoyaki, they told me, “I want to eat that!”

My senses had simply become dulled; in fact, wanting to eat freshly made products is a common feeling.

As we considered our brand strategy, we realized that our expertise in producing egg-based prepared foods, which we had cultivated over the years, could be a strength.

How the direct-sales shop came to be

I imagine selling to general customers was a new experience for you. How did you get started?

Sakamoto

After realizing that Sakamoto Keiran’s strength was its ability to make prepared foods, we first set up a simple sales stand.

It was a truly simple shop: we just put a folding table in front of the factory building.

We advertised on social media and made sure it took little time, effort, or money.

I could handle it myself, so it didn’t add to the employees’ workload.

We opened for just one hour, from 9 a.m. every Saturday. People in the community responded, and gradually more customers came.

What made it possible to establish the direct-sales shop as a permanent fixture?

Sakamoto

At the time, the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to spread, and income from prepared foods sold to businesses was starting to decline.

The simple sales stand was also doing well, so we changed our business policy and decided to sell to general customers too.

We started with what we could do and opened the direct-sales shop in May 2020.

How the egg sandwich was developed

What prompted you to make an egg sandwich?

Sakamoto

Even before sales fell due to COVID-19, the selling price of eggs had dropped, and we were beginning to feel that we couldn’t keep the business going.

So we began developing an egg sandwich, aiming for sixth-sector industrialization.

At the time, we were preparing to open a poultry farm, so we were unable to receive support from Okayama Prefecture for sixth-sector industrialization.

Around the end of 2019, when we had a clear prospect of opening the direct-sales shop, we had already been operating the poultry farm for several years. We therefore reapplied for sixth-sector industrialization and received approval.

“Sixth-sector industrialization” refers to primary-sector producers in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries adding value to their products, such as agricultural produce, and thereby increasing their income.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

How did you develop it?

Sakamoto

We started developing the egg sandwich as an extension of having fun, making prototypes based on ideas that came to mind.

A few times a month, I took prototypes to a bar I often visited in Mizushima, where the owner and regular customers would tell me what was wrong with them.

That would make me angry, so I’d keep taking them back again and again.

Today, the egg sandwich is one of Sakamoto Keiran’s signature products, available at the direct-sales shop.

What makes your egg sandwich special?

Sakamoto

The generous portion!

It would be difficult for other companies to use as many eggs in their sandwiches as we do at Sakamoto Keiran, given the cost.

Because we have our own poultry farm, we can make egg sandwiches while keeping costs down.

Of course, we also care about the taste, and give them a mild flavor so you won’t get tired of eating them.

We aimed for a familiar taste that lets people finish the generous sandwich and come back to buy another.

The background behind establishing a poultry farm

Was there a reason you established a poultry farm?

Sakamoto

There were two reasons.

One was that egg quality was declining nationwide.

Eggs come from chickens raised on poultry farms.

Most chicken feed is corn, but in recent years it has also come to be used as a biofuel ingredient, and prices have soared.

As a result, poultry farm operators tend to choose cheaper feed to keep costs down.

Cheap feed is also poor in quality, and the quality of the eggs has declined as well.

The other reason was that it was difficult to secure a stable supply of eggs.

Egg producers will switch to another buyer if a company offers even one yen more.

So we struggled to secure a stable supply of high-quality eggs.

To improve egg quality and ensure a stable supply, in 2011 we rented an unused poultry farm in Bisei Town and began producing eggs.

Can you compete with other companies on cost while producing eggs with quality in mind?

Sakamoto

To compete on both quality and cost, we developed fermented feed, a proprietary technology of Sakamoto Keiran.

Through decades of wholesaling, we have continued to source and process eggs from all over Japan, so we also know what feed producers give their chickens.

When we considered how to produce high-quality eggs using the knowledge we had accumulated, we arrived at fermented feed.

Then the former Representative Director and I studied modern agriculture and fermentation together and developed Sakamoto Keiran’s own fermented feed.

The future of Sakamoto Keiran

Have you noticed any changes among employees since you began selling to general customers?

Sakamoto

After hearing what customers have to say, I feel that more employees are approaching their work with confidence.

Since most of our business was aimed at companies, such as egg wholesaling and industrial meals, employees rarely had opportunities to meet customers.

I think many of them were always working inside the factory and felt embarrassed to go outside.

A major change came when we held a factory tour and product sale.

Customers filled boxes to the brim with Sakamoto Keiran products and looked delighted.

Employees were able to feel that “what we make ourselves is bringing smiles to people.”

Since the direct-sales shop opened, employees have had more opportunities to interact with customers, and I think they have become more motivated in their work.

What do you expect from your employees?

Sakamoto

Before we built the poultry farm, we were a small company.

It was a one-man team led by the founder, my father, who handled everything himself, from product development and sales to purchasing.

Perhaps it was good that the business was viable, but the employees weren’t developing.

However, in recent years, we’ve added more departments, and there’s now more work than I can handle on my own.

As the environment has changed, employees have started coming up with ideas on their own as they go about their work.

One of my goals now is to develop employees so they can take on roles and improve their work themselves.

What kind of company would you like to become?

Sakamoto

We aim to be a company that contributes to the local community.

Recently, we’ve been featured on television programs, and more people have come to recognize the name Sakamoto Keiran.

We’ve even heard people say, “We’re glad to have an egg shop like Sakamoto Keiran in our neighborhood.”

When we were working with businesses, those were words I could never have imagined hearing.

My grandfather ran a shop in Mizushima selling daily necessities and food.

When I was little, I was sometimes put in charge of the cash register, so I was always watching what was going on in the shop.

I remember people from the neighborhood gathering in front of the shop and chatting happily.

In fact, when Sakamoto Keiran started its direct-sales shop, it felt like a return to our roots.

Like my grandfather’s shop, I came to hope that Sakamoto Keiran would become a familiar presence in the local community.

Hearing the story behind Sakamoto Keiran

As I listened to Mr. Sakamoto and looked back on the history of Sakamoto Keiran, I came to understand how it has grown while adapting to the times.

Both opening a poultry farm and selling to general customers were strategies for staying competitive in a changing era.

They have kept the business going by not overlooking even the smallest hints.

We often hear that times are changing rapidly, and Sakamoto Keiran seemed to be keeping up with the times and riding the wave.

I felt that Mr. Sakamoto had shown me a model for succeeding in business without being swept along by changes in the social environment.

Get handpicked articles from Kurashiki Tocotoco on LINE