Interview with Yoshida Nobuhiro, the representative of Bakery Tonguu
I spoke with Yoshida Nobuhiro, the representative director of Tonguu Co., Ltd., which operates Bakery Tonguu.
This interview features content from the initial interview conducted in May 2019.
Determined to secure a successor to preserve Tonguu rooted in the community
Mr. Yoshida, you are the third-generation representative of Tonguu. How did you become the representative director?
Yoshida
Originally, I worked at a hotel in Okayama, making Western sweets and bread.
When I decided to leave the hotel, I was approached by the previous owner of Tonguu, who was a customer at the hotel, and asked if I would like to work at Tonguu. That was the trigger for me to join Tonguu as an employee.
Later, the previous owner decided to retire, but there was no successor, and Tonguu faced the risk of closing down.
Since I am from Okayama City, I was not familiar with Tonguu.
However, after starting to work at Tonguu, I learned that it was deeply rooted in the community of Soja City and loved by the people more than I had imagined.
For example, when I was doing bread deliveries, I was suddenly stopped by an old man on the street who asked, "I want some bread, but could you sell it to me?"...
I was surprised because this had never happened before.
I think there are not many shops or products that are loved and established in the community to this extent.
Therefore, I decided to become the successor because I absolutely cannot let such a beloved shop and product disappear.
To protect products loved by citizens, some changes must be made
What initiatives have you undertaken since becoming the representative?
Yoshida
Tonguu has many long-selling products that have been loved for many years, such as "Jouan" and "Butter Rolls."
To keep those products going, there were many things that needed to change. Currently, Japan is generally facing a labor shortage, and our company is in the same situation. Therefore, we narrowed down our wholesale business.
In the past, we sold to high schools, nurseries, and companies in the city, but now we have only about two other sales locations in the prefecture besides our directly managed store.
As a result, we decided to focus on sales at our directly managed store.
We are actively considering event participation and new products. We need a pillar product in addition to the products that have been loved so far.
Amidst this, the "Okayama Koppe" series became a new pillar.
The "Okayama Koppe" series leveraging Tonguu's strength in "school lunch rolls"
How did the Okayama Koppe series come to be?
Yoshida
Tonguu has long provided bread and rice for school lunches in the Soja area.
Among them, the koppe bread is our strength and feature that no other bakery can match.
The Okayama Koppe was created as a product utilizing Tonguu's unique strengths, inspired by the "self-sandwich" served in school lunches.
When we tried selling it at an event, it was a huge hit. After that, we arranged it for retail sales, and it quickly became a popular product in less than a year.
The fried bread was also sold at an event called "Retro Road" in Soja, using the keyword "retro" to evoke nostalgic school lunch menus.
It gained unexpected popularity, and we received many requests to sell it not just at events but also in regular sales, leading to its retail availability.
We sold exactly the same fried bread that is served in school lunches, and I think that nostalgia is what made it appealing.
Once you graduate from school, it's hard to find koppe bread or fried bread.
Both Okayama Koppe and fried bread are unique products from our company, which has been involved in school lunches for a long time.
To let more people know about Tonguu's products, sales in the Kanto region have also started
Yoshida
We have also started event sales in the Kanto region and sales at a joint antenna shop in Okayama and Tottori Prefectures.
To maintain Tonguu's bread, I believe it is necessary to let more people know about the products that have been loved in Soja.
At the antenna shop, we mainly handle packaged breads such as Jouan, Butter Rolls, Matsukasa, Fruit Rolls, and Banana Rolls.
In addition to people living in Tokyo who heard the rumors, it has also been well received by those from Soja who currently live in Tokyo.
We have received many comments like, "Even when I return home during the holidays, there are times when Tonguu is closed, so being able to eat it in Tokyo is very happy."
The "Pan World Soja" project has a significant economic impact on Soja
Tonguu is participating in a project called "Pan World Soja."
Yoshida
"Pan World Soja" is a project that originally started from the Soja Chamber of Commerce.
Soja City has many small bakeries relative to its urban scale, and due to the presence of a Yamazaki Bread factory, the consumption of flour ranks among the top three in the country. Additionally, the shipment volume of bread is also the highest in Okayama Prefecture.
As a result, the Chamber of Commerce proposed, "Why not revitalize the town with bread?" and approached our company, which is a long-established bakery in Soja, for cooperation.
"Pan World Soja" aims to attract people from outside Soja to come to the city and visit many bakeries in the city through a stamp rally.
As a result, "Pan World Soja" has become a hit project since the establishment of the Soja Chamber of Commerce, bringing a significant economic impact to Soja.
Revitalizing the town with bread is rare and has attracted national attention.
About the impact of the "July 2018 Heavy Rain"
The "July 2018 Heavy Rain" caused significant damage in Soja as well. Did Tonguu also experience any impact?
Yoshida
One of our employees lives in a disaster area in the city and was affected.
Of course, recovery efforts take priority, so the affected employee took some time off work. However, it is unfortunate that one of the affected employees had to resign due to the impact of the disaster.
Additionally, since Mabi-cho is a neighboring area, many of Tonguu's customers are from Mabi, but the number of customers decreased due to the disaster in Mabi.
After a while, when customers from the disaster-stricken Mabi came to our store, many expressed that seeing the familiar Tonguu bread they had eaten for years made them feel "relieved" and "comforted". I was glad that we were still selling the products that have been around for a long time.
We also provided our bread to volunteers for recovery efforts. While there were many supplies provided for disaster victims, there was a shortage of supplies for volunteers.
Therefore, we cooperated with gratitude for the volunteers who were working hard for the local community.
I want to create a new pillar and pass the baton to the next generation
What are your thoughts on how you want to develop Tonguu in the future?
Yoshida
I want to continue selling long-loved products like packaged bread for a long time.
Long-selling products like packaged bread are things that the previous generation worked hard to create.
Now, it is our generation's role to widely promote the products that the previous generation has worked hard on. That is why we started selling in the Kanto region.
Another goal is to create a new pillar.
One of those attempts is the Okayama Koppe.
I believe we need more pillars, so I am working hard to create others.
Simply maintaining what has been passed down from the past does not mean we are growing.
I want to create new pillars and pass the baton to the next generation on top of that.
The bread of Tonguu, loved by local residents since long ago
I have been eating Tonguu's bread since I was a child, as I was born in Soja. I often had it for school lunches in elementary and middle school, at the high school store, and as snacks during overtime at the factory.
Since it cannot be found outside of Soja, whenever I leave Soja and stop by Tonguu, I end up buying in bulk.
During the interview, I also bought a large quantity of Tonguu's bread.
For the citizens of Soja, Tonguu is a taste of the heart.
During the interview, I was allowed to stay in the store for a long time for the first time, and even in the morning, customers were constantly coming and going, which made me feel once again how popular Tonguu is.
I was also impressed by the wide range of ages and genders among the customers.
Moreover, I was surprised that many customers were buying a lot of packaged bread.
And I was deeply moved by the strong sentiment of Tonguu's representative, Mr. Yoshida, who said, "To protect the products that have been loved for a long time, I will continue to challenge myself to create new pillars and pass the baton to the next generation," as a local resident.
The idea of "Okayama Koppe," which leverages the strength of Tonguu's koppe bread born from involvement in school lunches, also conveys that sentiment.
Please enjoy the nostalgic taste of fried bread and Okayama Koppe, which are long-loved packaged breads in Soja, leveraging Tonguu's strengths.
Data on Bakery Tonguu
| Name | Bakery Tonguu |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-2-3 Ekimae, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0866-92-0236 |
| Parking | Available 10 cars |
| Business Hours | 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM |
| Regular Holidays | Monday, Sunday For other holidays (long holidays, Obon, New Year, etc.), please refer to the official Facebook |
| Payment Methods |
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| Website | Bakery Tonguu - A bakery with over 80 years of history located in front of the station in Soja City, Okayama Prefecture |
