Welcome Co., Ltd. operates a variety of brands based on its corporate philosophy of "resonance of sensibilities," including interior shops "GEORGE'S" and "CIBONE," and "DEAN & DELUCA," a "food select shop" originating from New York. This time, we spoke with Representative Director Masaki Yokokawa.
The difficulty of communicating culture rather than brand
DEAN & DELUCA currently has 40 stores in Japan and is recognized as a food select shop from New York. This business currently accounts for about 6% of Welcome's sales, but at first it didn't go well and there were times when they were worried.
"It was really tough until about the third year. DEAN & DELUCA had already been established as a culture in the United States, but originally we had to grasp the concept before it became a culture, the so-called roots, and from seedlings... I had to replant it, but there was a part of me that thought, ``It's a mature brand, so if I just pull it out and bring it back, it will grow.''
A grocery store started in the 1970s by four New Yorkers who were concerned about the lack of food culture in America, which was experiencing continued economic growth. One of the four, Giorgio DeLuca, introduced European food culture to the United States, where local production and local consumption is the norm, based on the Mediterranean food culture of Italy, which is the origin of the food culture, and it became popular with sensitive Americans. hit. DEAN & DELUCA is a brand that has spread all over the world due to its location in New York.
When Mr. Yokogawa introduced DEAN & DELUCA to Japan, it had already left the founder's hands and was licensed to another company, but he was worried and went to one of the founders, Giorgio. It was under Mr. DeLuca.
“He told me, ``If you want to explore the roots of DEAN & DELUCA, you should go to Europe, including my home country.'' So I spent about two years visiting the producers that he introduced me to. Every time I go to Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, Greece, North Africa, the producers introduce me to new people, and it's like hitchhiking, with no fixed destination each time. I started by traveling and communicating what I learned and felt to my employees and customers."
Furthermore, Mr. Yokogawa was told by Mr. DeLuca, ``Isn't Italian pasta just like soba or rice to you?''
``Actually, Mr. DeLuca loves Japanese food, too.'' ``I like the soba at Morimoto (Japanese restaurant in New York), but if you're a customer, I'm sure you know there's something even better.'' How about we deliver that? 'I was told.'
DEAN & DELUCA's turning point


DEAN & DELUCA (Photo provided by Wellcome)
DeLuca's words made Yokogawa reconsider their roots. The Roppongi store, which opened five years after its founding, now sells carefully selected ingredients made by Japanese craftsmen, such as soy sauce, salt, and alcohol.
“But that was the most nerve-wracking part,” Yokogawa says.
"When selecting Japanese food, I still remember it clearly, but for the first time I felt a bolt of lightning run through me. There's a different feeling of tension than choosing olive oil or pasta. This is because the people who will receive the product will be the ones who know the answer to Japanese taste and deliciousness. But thanks to that experience, I realized once again how rich and wonderful Japanese ingredients are and how profound they are."
“Enjoying food” is the basis of our philosophy


Visiting producers and learning about Japanese food was also a way to experience the ``joy of eating,'' which is DEAN & DELUCA's philosophy. And most importantly, enjoy the food. This is the basis of DEAN & DELUCA's philosophy.
“DEAN & DELUCA is an ``artisanal grocer'' (artisanal grocery store).To be more specific, we value nature as much as possible, and use traditional methods to stock products that are not forced into mass production. Actually, we have Coca-Cola in our Soho store in New York, but we don't carry Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Zero.The idea is that the beauty of food is "enjoy." ``That's what I mean. For example, if there were strict rules for sweets, all the sweets would turn brown. I'd like to use colorants derived from natural ingredients to make the toppings on children's cakes colorful.'' ``Enjoy'' is always the base, and having that balance creates a sense of beauty for living.''
Connect with sensibilities rather than rules
DEAN & DELUCA's idea of connecting with sensitivity rather than rules is also reflected in Wellcome's corporate philosophy.
``Our corporate philosophy is ``resonance of sensibilities.'' Even if we restrict ourselves with rules, the future will continue to change. Amidst this diversity, no one person will necessarily have the right answer, and work like ours always requires creativity. In that case, the only thing that connects everyone is sensitivity. Our idea is to share our values and then enjoy the creations."
Bringing beautiful Japanese things overseas


Until now, Welcome has introduced overseas products to Japan through CIBONE and DEAN & DELUCA, but in recent years, it has been in charge of curating products at Japan House, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has opened in London, Los Angeles, and other locations. We also actively communicate the appeal of Japanese products.
“I feel the depth of the appeal of Japanese products through DEAN & DELUCA's selections, so I would like to do this little by little while connecting with various people such as makers.I am not just a B-to-C business, but a Japanese restaurant. I think there is also potential in B to B, where we deliver necessary ingredients, utensils, etc. to the people who are doing the work.”


Japan House London (Photo courtesy of Wellcome)
DEAN & DELUCA's ability to expand its possibilities in Japan, including cafes, catering, and catalog gifts, can be said to be due to the expressive methods Welcome developed through miscellaneous goods and interior design, without having a fixed concept.
“Japan House is one such project, but in recent years there have been an increasing number of projects for hotel production, commercial facility development, and regional revitalization government projects. I think there are things that can be done across categories, such as urban development, media, schools, and linkages with primary industries, if we utilize this in the form of
Huge possibilities expanding from the store


Mr. Yokokawa studied architecture when he was a student. It seems that the thoughts he felt at that time are gradually taking shape.
``Unfortunately, I wasn't able to become an architect, but the promise I made to myself when I quit architecture was that someday I would become someone who creates the content that goes inside buildings, and I would work with the people who create them. It's been about 25 years since then, and although this work started with just one interior shop, I feel like we're gradually getting closer to fulfilling that promise."
Mr. Yokokawa hopes to utilize his past experience in various fields in the future.
He said that a single store has great potential.
``Creating a store is building a town. If you can create a general store that collects items that you like, customers who like those items will gather.And if you can open a cafe that uses such items, There will also be a flower shop that likes that kind of atmosphere, a bookstore, and if you connect about four of them, people who like that atmosphere will come together. Then you can have a market, and there will be more cafes...That's the color of the town. I think it's something that comes into being. Nowadays, commercial facilities are created by first having a form as a facility, and then people who want to open a store or live there. I'm thinking about how we can create an original city, where the colors of the city are connected and gradually take on the color of the city.''
*The contents and information contained in this article are as of the time of publication.
Masaki Yokokawa
Welcome Co., Ltd. Representative Director
Born in Tokyo in 1972. Founded in 2000. Opened "CIBONE" in 2001. In 2003, we began to develop DEAN & DELUCA in Japan. After that, he launched the National Art Center, Tokyo museum ``Souvenir from Tokyo'' and ``TODAY'S SPECIAL'' with the theme of DIY for daily life. In 2016, it was integrated as WELCOME GROUP, and leverages its experience and network to develop facilities, create towns, and produce hotels. We are expanding our lifestyle proposals with a focus on food and design.
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