A food company that operates at the industry’s cutting edge, Uonuma Jozo is on a mission to raise the profile of fermented goods like koji.
‘A land where the culture of snow takes root.’ ‘Wisdom of the snow country.’ ‘A sacred place for rice.’ These are phrases that represent Uonuma for what it is; a breathtaking and beautiful refuge from the trials and tribulations of the city and a return to a simpler life where man and nature are one. Can you tell us what makes Uonuma so transcendent and how those phrases translate into everyday life here?
The phrases that you mentioned relate to what Uonuma is all about. As plant manager, I can say that water is essential for any production that we do here. Without access to the pure soft water from the mountains, we could not create products such as amazake or our koji-fermented products. The access to excellent water is something that makes our company great and something that relates to the most notable characteristics of this area.
Uonuma is around 90 minutes from Tokyo and one hour from Niigata city. Uonuma lies in what was once ancient Echigo and Aizu. Bordered by Fukushima and Gunma, the farming city is embraced by grand forests anchored by the Sanzen mountains and is home to unbridled nature. It is touched by warm, wet summers and heavy winter snowfalls. People taking the Joetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo to Uonuma pass through the unspoiled valleys, inaka towns from another era, rolling fields of pastoral green, unharvested terraced rice paddies and the three peaks of Echigo. Could you elaborate on what visitors coming to this area can expect to experience and witness here? Do you have any personal recommendations?
Uonuma can be praised for a lot of things. From our company’s perspective, I would say that the local cuisine is one of the main attractions for people to come here. Uonuma is famous for its delicious culinary offerings, such as rice dishes, sake and other regional specialties that reflect the area’s rich agricultural heritage. The harvesting of rice in Uonuma is very famous. The reason why it is attractive to many people is due to the temperature differences in the area. The nights here are cold, while the days are warm. This is very good for the microclimate, as the area is also surrounded by mountains. These conditions allow for the harvesting of unique rice. Uonuma is also famous for many other products, such as ramen. However, I would like to emphasize rice as we base our production on rice.
It is imagined that farming life is lived by hard men and resilient women. They are carved and shaped by the eternal battle against the elements, against time, and sometimes against a society that may be trying to leave them behind. Yet, everyone here has been so welcoming and kind. For example, when I was at the train station, it was very hot, and a person asked me if I would like a complimentary bottle of water. What is it about Uonuma that creates this charitable nature?
I couldn't agree more with what you said. It is something that unites the local community. The people here are very humble and easy to work with. There is a very strong sense of community in the area, and the people are very compassionate. This relates to our cultural value of connecting with nature. If we had not been blessed with so many good people in the area, we would not have been able to make such good products.
How does that Uonuma mentality express itself here at Uonuma Jozo?
The people who work in our factory are in close harmony with nature. The residents of Uonuma possess a profound appreciation for the beauty and the challenges of the environment. This connection shows how nature fosters a sense of empathy and compassion towards others and creates a more caring and understanding community. We definitely feel that this relates to our production.
The value of rice in Japan is echoed in the language. Gohan means both ‘cooked rice’ and ‘meal.’ It is further expanded to make the Japanese words for ‘breakfast,’ asagohan, ‘lunch,’ which is hirugohan, and ‘dinner,’ which is bangohan, reflecting the impossibility of the Japanese mentality and psyche to imagine a meal without rice. It is ingrained within Japanese culture. Uonuma, as you said, is a sacred place for rice. For our readers who may be unaware, what makes Uonuma rice that much more special?
Uonuma has the ideal geographical location and climate for growing rice. The region's rich soil, clean water sources, seasonal changes and temperature changes create a perfect environment for producing high-quality rice. That results in a natural sweetness and good consistency in the rice itself. All of the products that we make are related to the quality of the rice, and with this high-quality rice, we are able to make good products.
Uonuma Jozo was founded in 2019 and combines Marukome’s expertise in miso fermentation with Uonuma Jozo’s brewing skills. This partnership has resulted in innovative products that blend the flavors of miso and sake, appealing to both the domestic market and potentially the international market. It has been five years since Uonuma Jozo came into being. Could you elaborate on the challenges you faced and some of your highlights?
It has been very smooth when it comes to the transaction of the technologies that both companies possess. Marukome is a strong partner in terms of fermented products such as miso. We are strong in the production of amazake. Both companies' utilization of their practices and technologies produced great results.
One of the challenges we have faced relates to the level of experience our employees possess, as the average age of our employees here in Uonuma is 23 years. Expatriate employees from Marukome are more experienced. Currently, they are educating young employees about the system and knowledge.
Your average employee age is 23, and earlier, you mentioned how you are trying to lead the way in terms of uplifting the inaka areas. What initiatives are you carrying out in the area to carry on this policy?
It is very hard not only to employ people but also to sustain people at the company as we are a rural company located outside of the major urban centers. To solve this problem, we have been working with an Uonuma association of companies which have policies to create the best social packages to attract people to come to work in the area. Once we procure human capital, we conduct training sessions such as OJT for all our employees, including the upper management. We also transfer our employees from one place to another to give them more experience. That has been generating good results, as they can acquire more knowledge on how our production processes or sales channels work. It has been very fruitful and has helped attract people to come to work at our company.
During our factory tour, you told us how important tradition was at Uonuma Jozo. You also spoke about the importance of having a human element. This is coming at a time when many companies are trying to remove the human element and moving into automation more and more. Why is human capital and tradition important?
Combining automation with a human touch in multiple ways is very important for rice koji manufacturing. It is a very sensitive production as koji is a natural fungus. It is difficult to observe koji by machine as a machine cannot simply do what a human can do. This relates to the taste, structure and consistency of the batch itself. People must check that the batch is OK and can be eaten. No machine can perform this task. In that way, it is essential to have this strong combination of machinery and human work. The machinery eliminates the hard work of lifting heavy weights. However, it is still essential to have people check the products when the process is complete.
You talked about how Uonuma's food and cuisine are amazing. If Uonuma is a ‘foodie paradise,’ then Uonuma Jozo must be ‘foodie heaven’ in that sense. Can you elaborate on the amazing food, drink and dessert collaborations you have made here and brought to the city, and how you were able to make those connections?
We have collaborated with food establishments in both Niigata and other areas. For example, in collaboration with a hotel in Yuzawa, a menu using koji was introduced exclusively for that hotel. Also, in Niigata, we have great seafood, including shrimp and squid. Our koji is also used in processed seafood products. We sell it like a raw material rather than a finished product. We also collaborated a lot through our parent company, Marukome. We collaborate as much as possible as many food manufacturing companies are looking to discover what koji is all about and apply koji to their production. We foresee a lot of collaborations in the future.
Do you have any future collaborations that you can mention?
We carry out B2B collaborations with companies who want to use the best features of koji in their production. We are always open to collaborating with those companies, and we strive to provide them with the highest-quality koji possible. For example, koji syrup is one interesting area. We make proposals to various food manufacturers, including confectionery manufacturers. In the future, that may be an area in which we collaborate. Koji itself is a natural additive rather than a main ingredient. It improves the umami flavor of the products. There are many potential companies with which to collaborate, and we always welcome such collaborations.
During our research, we saw that you have collaborated with some famous people. For example, you collaborated with gelato maestro Taizo Shibano as well as Jiyugaoka Rollya, the cake shop owned by pâtissier Hironobu Tsujiguchi. Could you tell us more about those collaborations, especially for ‘foodies’ who are very interested in those things?
These sorts of collaborations with famous pâtissiers and dessert-making chefs are part of the initiatives taken by the Marukome group. Last year, Hironobu Tsujiguchi attended a chocolate festival in Paris named Salon du Chocolat, where he received a Gold Tablet for his chocolate, which used our koji syrup. We will attend this year’s Salon du Chocolat festival with him.
Uonuma Jozo Koji Salon
Continuing with the theme of food, your company has a diverse range of food. For example, we talked about koji amazake, which combats the summer heat. You also have your koji honey and koji milk, which I am very excited about. Can you highlight which Uonuma Jozo products you are most proud of, and do you have any new products that you can tell us about?
We want to make something that makes peoples’ hearts tremble. All of our products are magical as long as they relate to what we do here. It has always been my dream to introduce something new that has a unique taste and makes people excited. Koji syrup is a great example as it never existed before. We want to try new approaches and develop products that have never been thought of before so that we can bring satisfaction to our customers.
Uonuma Jozo has contributed so much to the city. You have made great efforts to blend Uonuma’s meticulous traditions of rice cultivation with modern sensitivity and comfort to highlight the city in a positive light. Can you elaborate on what our readers who have yet to visit will experience when they come here?
There are many things you will discover once you step off the train and explore the beauty of Uonuma. The landscape here is beautiful and ideal for cultivation, with mountains, trees, water and fresh air. All of these elements combined into one are great for making products. There is great diversity in the components that we have. Air, water and rice are all vital for anything that we make. Uonuma is also famous for its traditional cultivation techniques, which are very rare in Japan today. We preserve these cultural manufacturing techniques on our premises as they relate to the history of Japan. This approach is quite rare as many Japanese companies have modernized their processes. By respecting and refining tradition, we would like to continue to introduce traditionally made Japanese products such as amazake, as well as products that relate to what we have around here due to the accessibility of nature. We would like to relay that to as many people as possible.
‘The Grace of Uonuma and Koji-Amazake’ is a 13-minute short video work showcasing the glorious wonder and indescribable ever-changing seasonal splendour of Uonuma, its Eden-blessed people and the tenacious work which goes into koji sweet sake. Several months later, the video would win the silver ‘Corporate Media & TV Award’ at Cannes in 2019. To this day, it is showcased for all visitors touring Uonuma Jozo. Could you run us through the process which went into making the video?
We spent nearly a year covering the site using documentary video production techniques. The reason for this project was that I wanted people not only in Japan but also around the world to know about the culture, climate and charm of the people who live in Uonuma, which is rich in nature.
Why was it so important to educate the public on Uonuma?
This is the first rice koji factory built outside the prefecture by Shinshu miso producer Marukome, which has a production base in Nagano. The reason why we created this facility for people from outside the prefecture, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, to come for factory tours and sightseeing is because we believe that we should aim to be a presence that is loved by local residents.
Uonuma Jozo’s Instagram has over 6,000 followers, with more than 250 posts and reels shared by koji sake fans. Dozens of YouTube videos and TikToks outline people’s own koji recipes, themselves eating and/or drinking koji-based products, or just sharing the amazing experience people can have by visiting Uonuma Jozo. Was social media always a planned aspect? Or was it something which grew organically?
It was not planned from the beginning, but was born organically through interactions with the customers who visit us every day.
Why do you think Uonuma, Uonuma Jozo and Uonuma Jozo products are so ‘Instagrammable’?
A beautiful location is a blessing of nature, but we are particular about products that come with a series of experiences, including not only the packaging, but also the way it looks in the refrigerator, how it cooks and how it feels when you put it on a plate and eat it. ‘Instagrammability’ is one of them, but that's not what we're pursuing. We would like to send out all sorts of content, including Instagram-worthy content, to help as many people as possible know about the Uonuma Jozo brand.
We are living in the era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Food consciousness has made many companies act to reduce food waste. Earlier on the factory tour, it was interesting to hear you talk about your X-rays and how you are trying to eliminate food waste. Could you elaborate on that for our readers?
Preserving the conditions of SDG principles and contributing to the reduction of NG (‘not good’) products are things that we take very seriously. We are implementing preventative measures before the products go to the next stage. Rather than thinking about how to recycle NG products, we are creating a system to solve problems before they occur and prevent NG products from being produced. We have X-ray inspection equipment and foreign matter removal equipment in each process, and check them daily. That is how we have been addressing the problem.
Partnerships are vital as they enable a mixture of factors which otherwise would be unattainable. These can include an expansion of domestic and international market reach and an improvement of operational efficiency. These collaborations and partnerships can be vital foundations for a trading company’s growth and competitiveness. Are you seeking any new partnerships, domestic or abroad? If so, can you elaborate?
Rice koji is a fermentation technology unique to Japan and is a food product. Its unique properties are now attracting attention around the world. We would like to explore how this material can be utilized and explore the possibilities of unknown collaborations overseas. To achieve this, we will engage in many collaborations.
Throughout our time in Japan, we have increasingly learned about the importance of internationalizing to remain competitive on a global scale. Are you planning to continue your international expansion? If so, what new markets do you consider to have potential benefits for your business?
We believe that our products can bring health to many users. We are confident that these products, which are simply rice-based products without unnecessary ingredients, are delicious and contribute to health, will be of interest mainly in developed countries, including Europe and the United States. I feel that it will not be long before these traditional Japanese foods are accepted by the international community.
During our research, we found an interesting quote in the English version of your video which was: ‘Our aspiration for koji amazake is to make it even gentler, even tastier. We have come to Uonuma with these aspirations.’ Would you say that after five years you have achieved this? What more does this journey require, or will this journey never end?
It is definitely a never-ending journey as continuous improvements are to be made. You never know what the new day will bring. We are always trying to develop new tastes. This is a continuous process that involves experimentation, refinement and innovation. As humans, we always want to reach new goals. The future will also present new challenges. Our philosophy is that if a problem or challenge comes our way, we will try our best to overcome it. The journey will always involve continuous improvement.
If you could tell our 75 million readers one thing about Uonuma and Uonuma Jozo, what would it be?
Uonuma Jozo is a company that delivers health to your table. People around the globe are very aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. We would like to help them to fulfill their expectations. ‘Delivering health to your table’ is how I would outline our company in one sentence. We also want to enable new tastes and overcome the challenges that we face. To reach new heights, you must always challenge yourself.
Mr. Ito gives The Worldfolio a factory tour:
This is the sorting area where we check for impurities. There is a trading company that provides rice to us. We must always check for impurities and ensure that our products are 100% safe, as the end product will be consumed by children and other family members. Although we trust the procurement company, further checks for impurities are very important. That is why we sort the goods on our premises. We use a monitor to do the checks. The trucks arrive with 1 ton of rice, which goes through our sorting machine, where it is checked for impurities. This helps us to preserve the high quality of the rice. Small plastic parts, insects, or even small stones are observed using our machines, and they are separated from the rice grains. The clean rice then goes to the next stage of production. We inform the rice procurement company of our findings and ask them to decrease the impurities in the next batch. Our machines are very effective and help us to ensure that we have the highest quality rice that meets the safety requirements. Safety and production reliability are things that I want to emphasize. We manufacture products for both the Japanese and global markets, so we must guarantee that our products are the best when it comes to quality and safety.
After the sorting is done, we move to the next stage of production which is the soaking process. We have five soaking tanks here in the factory which are filled with rice. The soaking process takes from eight to ten hours. We slowly remove the water and the rice is transported using a pipe conveyor that is around 18m long.
In terms of air transportation of rice koji, why is it better?
It is better as it avoids the bacteria that can be found on human hands. The wind also distributes the koji fungus evenly. If the fungus is stuck in the pipe, production is stopped. The wind also helps us to avoid the clogging.
How old are the workers that work here? Do you have a policy of deliberately hiring older people for their experience?
We have 46 people working here at Uonuma Jozo. I came from Marukome. Altogether, nine people from Marukome work at this premises. The other workers are locally hired. The average age is quite young at 23 years. We employ many younger workers here. Attracting young people to Uonuma is vital as there is a flow of people leaving the rural areas and going to work in the big cities. We want to do the opposite and attract people to come to work in the local area. Regional revitalization is also part of my job and something that we are working very hard on.
Early in the morning, the valley is thick with fog. It happens due to the changing temperature in the area. The air in Uonuma is very clean and this provides a nice image of our location. In winter, the water comes from the snow and is very clean and pure.
Sanitation is key in our production. Preserving our machinery in a clean state is important. We ensure that everything is clean before we move on to the next step. We also have the same machinery upstairs. The diameter is 16m and 20 tonnes of rice is processed per production cycle.
Is it one of the biggest in the world?
Yes, it is one of the biggest in the world. They have six similar machines at Marukome which are of the same size. When it comes to the center of the rotating machine an even layer of koji fermented rice is made. This even layer is very important. The temperature is 40 degrees and the humidity is 90%. This allows us to create a special environment for koji production.
Why is it important to have even rice?
If you do not have an even layer, the taste can be different. Producing amazake is a very sensitive process. Everything must be even throughout the entire process. This prevents disparities in the flavoring at the end. After this step is completed, the screw allows the rice to be transferred to the next production step.
The three parties were involved in the construction of this plant: Marukome, a general contractor, and insect and mice control. The reason for this was that not allowing outside insects to enter the area is vital. We collaborated with those companies to produce this factory.
It was important to obtain food safety system (FSSC22000) certification. It is an international certification that requires many criteria to be met. These criteria were required not only at the production site but also at the preproduction and designing stage.
Does this certification allow you to take your products into other markets more easily?
Yes, it allows us to sell our rice koji products to the world.
How many markets do you operate in?
Dispatching products to overseas markets requires the necessary certifications. This includes eco-certification. Once we pass that stage, we will be able to capture many markets. Right now, we are in the process of introducing our products to as many countries as possible.
As I mentioned earlier, we have many young employees working here. I ask them what their dreams are. We believe that if we make a good product, we will be able to go beyond the Japanese market.
This is the area where we produce amazake. We have female employees working in this area. All people are welcome to work at this factory regardless of gender. The process is automatized. Our employees can press a button when the products are ready for the next stage of production. Twenty years ago, we could never have imagined that automation could take us to this level of production. Back then, everything was more or less done by hand. However, now we have adopted an almost fully automatic production cycle. This is important as anyone can operate the system regardless of their age or gender.
We also have tours for elementary school students to come here and study amazake manufacturing. Once you adopt the knowledge and transfer it to young people, you can help revitalize the region and contribute to the local area. We want to spread the knowledge of fermented products such as koji. When it comes to the products that we make here, one of our products is salted koji. You can put it on fried fish or barbecued meat to make it softer.
You just mentioned barbecues. Is that an idea you want to pitch in the US or other overseas areas?
We have a facility in the area for that purpose. Employees from Nagano or Tokyo come to stay there and use salted koji for barbecue preparation. When they see how good koji is for barbecue purposes, they wonder what else it can be applied to. That makes it easier for us to introduce it to other countries.
The line that makes salted koji includes an X-ray machine that detects impurities and ensures everything is alright with the product before it moves to the next procedure. The weight of the product is also important. It has to be precisely packed.
Does the whole line stop if there is a bad product?
The products that are not good have the letters ‘NG’ on them. They are automatically removed from the production line. Our X-ray machine allows us to see exactly what is wrong with that package.
What happens to the bad ones? Do you recycle them?
The bad ones are disposed of. We try to minimize the impurities and bad products to the lowest degree possible. That is why every step of our production process is equipped with quality inspection machines. We minimize the production of low-quality products.
What is the ratio of men and women working at Uonuma Jozo?
It is 50:50. There are a large number of men working on Japanese production sites. However, we wanted to offer even conditions for anyone to come and work for us. I would also like to see my daughter working for the company in the future. Our working environment is very clean and you are not required to handle heavy weights. We offer a women-friendly working environment to prospective employees. It makes our company more appealing as everyone can do the same job regardless of their gender.
Will it always be company policy to have this part of the chain done by people?
Yes, our workers will check the seals and ensure that the packages are not leaking. It is very important that this step is done by people. The shelf life of the product is imprinted on the package of the product. We check if the shelf life is accurate or not.
So, you are not thinking about implementing AI again in the future?
It could be something we consider in the near future. When it comes to new products, our rice koji milk is not an animal-derived product like cow milk. It tastes very good. Some people may have allergies or may be lactose intolerant which prevents them from drinking animal-derived milk. Introducing a similar product using rice koji provides them with an alternative. We are trying our best to offer eco-friendly and natural products to help our customers live a healthy lifestyle.
We also produce koji syrup. Again, some people are allergic to bee honey. We are trying to offer products that are safe to be tried by anyone. Our koji syrup also does not include sugar. If we prepare food using koji syrup, we can cut down the amount of sugar that is used. There is a growing awareness of living a healthy lifestyle and we are trying to meet the expectations of our customers all across the world.
Have you launched these products?
We launched our koji rice milk in the Spring. The products made by Uonuma Jozo are divided into two brands: Marukome and Uonuma Jozo. Uonuma Jozo uses Japan's most famous brand of rice, Koshihikari from Uonuma, to produce koji products such as koji amazake.
Can you tell us about your company logo?
It represents the shape of a mountain that is the source of water. At the bottom, you can find a drop of water in a circle which represents the pure water that is found at the bottom of the mountain. It also resembles the rice. Uonuma is surrounded by a natural habitat of mountains. The water comes from the melted snow that falls on the mountains and this water is used to cook food and is included in beverages. The mountains are the three peaks of Echigo. The first is Hakkai. The second is Nakanodake, and the third is Komagatake. The beginning of each of the mountain names is combined to form ‘Hanako’ which is the name for the three summits. There is a lot of snow at the summits of the mountains. It melts and flows 100m down the well where we collect it. The water is very clean. There is a phrase ‘yukimura’ which means ‘natural refrigerator’.
We put the snow inside the storage which acts as a natural fridge. We also have a vent downstairs which ensures that the cold air blows around this area. This kind of facility is found in Uonuma due to the quality of the snow itself. The snow takes a long time to melt and therefore has a long-lasting cooling effect. I am from Nagano, so I know what snow is. In Nagano, we have a powder-type of snow which is fluffy and melts easily. It is not good for natural fridge. Uonuma is famous for its snow, and it is used to prolong the life cycle of vegetables and beverages. It is very good for preserving purposes as it acts as a fridge.
Is the snow recycled every winter?
Yes, it is. In November, we clean the snow room thoroughly and fill it with moisture-laden snow from March.
To read more about Uonuma Jozo, check out this article about them
For more information, visit: www.uonuma-jozo.co.jp/en
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