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"There is nothing to be gained by having fun."
Story of 5 years as a new graduate until he met Soup Stock Tokyo

Soup Stock Tokyo Co., Ltd. President and Representative Director Sanetsugu Matsuo

At the office in Nakameguro, Tokyo

Soup Stock Tokyo is a store specializing in edible soups. It is attracting attention not only for its taste, but also for its efforts that align with its corporate philosophy of ``raising the world's body temperature.'' In April 2023, the company announced that it would offer free baby food at all stores, which somehow caused an uproar on the internet. At that time, he was praised for his resolute response, and was even selected for the Grand Prize of `` Marketer of the Year 2023''.

Masatsugu Matsuo, the president and CEO of Soup Stock Tokyo, is a graduate of Waseda University. In this interview, President Matsuo, who always deals with brands, consumers, and employees with sincerity, focuses on the five years since he graduated as a new graduate, which can be said to be the "origin of his passion," and talks about his various experiences up until he discovered Soup Stock Tokyo. We asked them what they value when dealing with failures and difficulties.

He volunteered to work in a department with intense work. What he can see at the “center of the vortex”

"When I first entered university, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. But I vaguely thought that I wanted to be at the center of something."

Mr. Matsuo says as he looks back on his university days. If I ask him, it seems like he has always had a tendency to seek out the ``center of the vortex.'' The whirlwind that he jumped into when he was a student was a part-time job at Japan's leading news program ``News Station'' (TV Asahi).

"Since it was a nightless news bureau, there were early morning shifts and late night/overnight shifts, and I was sometimes called up suddenly for breaking news and emergency special programs.I carried cameras and equipment and accompanied reporters to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the National Diet. It was an exciting day that taught me about social studies.Also, I was impressed by the fact that the student part-time workers I met here were full of unique personalities, and for some reason, many of them were Waseda students.

Mr. Matsuo (right) is about to graduate from university. ``It's pitch black and I can't see where it is (lol), but this is a photo taken when I visited New York, USA on my graduation trip.'' (Mr. Matsuo)

When looking for a job, he only wanted to work at a general trading company that would play a role in creating turbulence in the world.

"A trading company man can be anything, and there's a dynamic that takes place all over the world."My favorite novel at the time, "Barren Zone" (written by Toyoko Yamasaki), which was set in a trading company, may have had an influence on me. By chance, I received a job offer from Nissho Iwai (now Sojitz), one of the model trading companies that appears in the novel."

However, in 1998, when Mr. Matsuo was in his fourth year at university, there was a ``financial crisis'' and the ``employment ice age'' was still continuing. Nissho Iwai also fell into a management crisis after receiving a job offer, and his working life began in chaos. Furthermore, Mr. Matsuo himself caused trouble within the company.

"During employee training, there was a lecture by the head of the Corporate Planning Division, and I was looking forward to listening to him talk about how to overcome this business crisis.However, when I opened the lid, I found it to be boring small talk.I felt like I had no sense of crisis. I got angry and said, "We didn't come to the company with the intention of hearing things like that," and asked them to change the topic."

Mr. Matsuo (front row, right) from his time at Nissho Iwai with his seniors in Financial Affairs Division

At this point, assignments have not yet been decided. My colleagues were worried, saying, ``Matsuo, you're going to be transferred to a less favorable department,'' and in fact, I immediately received a summons from Personnel Division.

"I was prepared, thinking, "I'm really going to be taken over," but when I heard the story, I was told, "Matsuo, you did a great job. Which department do you want to go to?" I was relieved to hear that. Without hesitation, I asked, "Please assign me to the department where the lights stay on until the latest in the company."

Mr. Matsuo's long-cherished wish came true and he became the financial officer responsible for the core of the company's management, and soon after joining the company, he had to work hard every day.

"I graduated from School of Law graduate, so I didn't know anything about bookkeeping. I was thrown into a group of hard-earned people who were experts when it came to raising funds. Normally, this would never have happened. Among them, I frantically kept minutes, learned how to use Excel, and kept up.The scary old men around me took pity on me for being cheeky, and even after work, they taught me various things, making it a very friendly company. "

Those days of struggle are short-lived. In his second year at the company, a decision was made to ``freeze all new investments and loans,'' and Mr. Matsuo decided to move on to a new field.

"One of the attractions of a trading company is that there are many opportunities to face new trends in the world. If I can't do that, there's no point in working at a trading company. When changing jobs, ask myself, 'What company is the most energetic in the world right now?' I thought it would be interesting for Uniqlo, fleece products were an explosive hit at the time."

All experiences are due to encountering Soup Stock Tokyo

This is the first thing Mr. Matsuo did when he moved to Uniqlo (Fast Retailing). Just like when he joined Nissho Iwai, his goal was to place himself in the ``center of the vortex, the busiest place.''

"At the time of the interview, I was told that I would be in charge of a new business, but when I joined the company, the department wasn't even set up yet.I was first assigned to work at a Uniqlo store, so I volunteered to work at the store that sold the most. I was assigned to the Ikebukuro East Exit store, which boasted the highest sales at the time. Thanks to that, I can still fold laundry extremely fast (lol)."

In 2002, Uniqlo's long-awaited new business began with ``SKIP,'' a new brand responsible for the production and sale of fresh vegetables. At the time, there was a lot of talk about why the apparel company Uniqlo sells vegetables.

"Although SKIP strives to sell only authentic vegetables grown using a cultivation method called Nagata farming, there was a large gap between the public's image of "Uniqlo's vegetables, so they must be from overseas, right?" and it did not go well. The vegetables produced by Nagata Farming are really delicious.Even now, I have never tasted tomatoes that taste better than those produced.Being able to experience the "authentic taste" there turned out to be a great asset."

With SKIP staff (back row, second from left)

Mr. Matsuo was in despair after his new business failed. At that time, he happened to come across a canned soup from Soup Stock Tokyo, which was being sold at a convenience store at the time.

"We were very disappointed in the fact that even though we wanted to do it, we couldn't sell the product with proper branding, even at a high price.Following that impulse, we visited Soup Stock Tokyo's directly managed store and When I tried it, I couldn't stop drinking the soup.My experience at SKIP made me realize that this is the real deal."

Mr. Matsuo soon had the opportunity to meet Masamichi Toyama, the founder of Soup Stock Tokyo, and spoke directly to him, saying, ``Please let me do it.''

"I was 27 years old at the time. For five years after entering the workforce, I was in charge of finance at a trading company, and at Uniqlo, I also earned store manager qualifications and worked in the field. I was also involved in venture business, and I trained my tongue. That's exactly what I did. , all these days were spent in order to discover Soup Stock Tokyo. With that thought in mind, I cheekily told the founder, "My job is to make this brand top-notch," and Toyama responded, " It's interesting, I'll ask,' and they accepted."

Before transferring to Soup Stock Tokyo, he visited New York, USA to inspect a popular soup shop.

Thus, he was transferred to Soup Stock Tokyo and is now the representative director. Looking back, he says, ``I've always been cheeky, and I'm here now  because I met people who had the courage to accept that.'' From this perspective, he encouraged the students, saying, ``I want them to cherish their youthful, bouncy temperament.''

"The reason I've come this far is with the mindset that "There's nothing to be gained by skipping out on."The place that sell the most , work until the end of the day...that's where the dynamic is and the conflict is." That's why good creations are born. Of course, we can only do so much because we're young. Youth means possibilities."

At the end, I received a message saying that make people feel the sparkle of students who are full of potential.

"If you have any interesting ideas, please contact me.I would like to experience the pure thoughts of "I want to change something" and "I want to move something" that only students can come up with. I might be able to do that. I don't think I've lost that bouncy spirit yet."

*Please send your ideas to Matsuo's personal X (formerly Twitter): @sanetsugum

In front of the Nakameguro store with Soup Stock Tokyo staff (Mr. Matsuo is in the center of the back row)