Good Environment & Sincerity Are Key Ingredients For Making Good Confectionery Products: Takeshi Fujinawa, President & CEO, Yoku Moku
What made you enter the Indian market?
Yoku Moku has been developed as a gift brand and gift market is thriving in India. We believe that we could enrich Indian gifting culture and make people smile with our confectionery.
In addition, there were many inquires about orders and business from India. Therefore, we decided, it could be an ideal timing for us to enter into the Indian market.
What will be your marketing strategy to expand in India?
We already have here PAN India sales and distribution rights and now a total of five stores in India.
We deliver PAN India and our Indian website which is in the testing phase will be live soon. With the recent launch of our eggless cookies, we plan to open more stores and promote our sales in cities like Ahmedabad, Rajasthan and also DELHI-NCR.
How will you build your customer service strategy?
We place shopping at YOKU MOKU’s stores as experiences of Japan and welcome all customers with the same spirit of hospitality as in Japan. We also have a very strong social media presence that helps us to reach and serve our customers better.
To whom you consider as competition? And your favourite brand?
In terms of the confectionery market, Yoku Moku does not have any direct competitor specializing in gifting in India. We are the first cookie brand for gifting purpose which would satisfy people as such. Competitors would be not only confectionery brands but also these in other categories because we hope more people to choose our cookies as one of the gifting options.
For my favourite brand, when it comes to foods, there might not be particular. I am not interested in any specific brand. I’m a person who cherishes things that have an additional charm with long-time use but far from outdated regarding fashion, jewellery and so on.
Where is your bakery? Tell us about your secret ingredients?
Our main factory is located in Nikko, Japan. We believe that a “good environment” is required to make confectionery and cookies with a sincerity which is a necessary ingredient for making good confectionery and cookies. The most important conditions to realize the good environment are cleanliness and hygienic environment as well as good equipment. And it is also very important to locate the factory in the place where is surrounded by the beauty of nature. The Nikko factory is near the Omoi river and the Nikko-kaido Road which has more than 300 year-old Cedar trees called Nikko Suginamiki and commands a view of the Nikko mountain range. Our confectionery and cookies have been made in such a beautiful nature. Our confectionery is made of highest quality ingredients only because we believe that great confectionery can only be made by fine ingredients instead of rare ones. Nothing special is needed, but a harmony of each freshest and finest ingredient is essential to Yoku Moku’s confectionery in order to produce our cookies unrivalled in flavour, texture, and appearance.
