The only thing you can't outsource is "vision building."

The fictional town of "Higashi-Mino City," featured as the setting in NHK's morning drama "Half Blue," doesn't actually exist. However, the real-life area used for filming the hometown episodes—the so-called Tōnō region, specifically the Iwamura area in Ena City, Gifu Prefecture—has seen a surge in tourists and seems to be thriving.

Coincidentally, a friend's family runs the Iwamura Brewery here, so I've visited several times since my student days. This brewery boasts a history dating back to its founding in 1787 (Tenmei 7). Their pride is the "Junmai Ginjo Onna Joshu" (Lady Castle Lord), named after the female lord who once ruled Iwamura Castle. This premium sake, carefully brewed using natural water from a well dug 400 years ago, is both elegant and deeply flavorful.

I was consulted about managing a comprehensive park facility housing eight shops. This facility is operated by Gin no Mori, a company based in Ena like Iwamura Jozō, which has rapidly grown its business in recent years with its "frozen osechi" offerings.

Upon visiting, I found the quality of offerings at each shop truly outstanding: the "Forest Dining Table Restaurant" serving casual Italian buffets, "Carit Lemon" with handmade sweets reminiscent of rural France, and "Okudo" featuring dashi and side dishes prepared by Japanese culinary artisans. Yet, at the same time, I felt... well, there just wasn't a compelling reason to buy here. This might sound presumptuous, but overall, I felt it was "almost there!"

Why does this happen?

As I wrote in the episode "There are only two reasons product development fails," it boils down to either the company's direction, including its vision, being ambiguous, or a lack of training in creative thinking at the operational level. So, I immediately looked into Gin no Mori's corporate philosophy.

Indeed, what's written here is absolutely not wrong. As a food company aiming for growth, it's all correct. However, I don't sense Gin no Mori's unique "idealism that transcends mere profit-making."

If the management held unique values distinct from major food companies, employee actions would naturally become distinctive.

Yet, looking only at what Gin no Mori officially states in writing, I found only these well-behaved, commonplace words.

When I frankly shared this observation with Chairman Daisaku Watanabe, he took considerable time to share various stories with me.

"When we built the factory for our frozen osechi dishes, there were many fine trees on the site that had to be cut down. But that seemed such a waste, didn't it? So we transplanted as many as possible within the grounds. Later, when I had the chance to speak with the abbot of Yakushiji Temple, he said to me, 'Those trees will help Gin no Mori someday.' I truly believe the company's steady growth today is thanks to those trees planted back then."

"Japanese forests were planted uniformly with cedar and cypress, then left untended for ages. Human ego has created a truly tragic situation, right? But then again, wild, untamed primeval forests left entirely to nature are also terrifying in their own way. I believe forests that have been appropriately tended by human hands, where you can feel the wind, are truly wonderful. That's what brings happiness to both people and trees."

Like mist gradually clearing, it became clear that "coexistence between people and forests" is the very vision of the company.

"We've lived in Ena, taking the blessings of the mountains and forests for granted. But even we, who bear 'Forest' in our company name and make our livelihood crafting seasonal delicacies like 'osechi' from nature's bounty, realized we hadn't truly given back to the forest. People can live healthy lives by borrowing the forest's power. The forest, too, can thrive and flourish by borrowing human power. When forests and people connect, and people connect with each other. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could create such a society?"

When developing products or businesses, there's one thing an outsider like me simply can't do: formulate this "vision." Of course. A vision is the image of what the company aspires to become, based on the values of its leader. I can help by conducting interviews and crafting those ideas into words people can understand, but I can't create or decide the fundamental direction itself – what the company aims for.

Fortunately for Gin no Mori, the Chairman still carried within him an "ideal" that hadn't yet been put into words. It was around last spring that Gin no Mori's vision began to take shape. Generating concepts and concrete strategies from there involves many other steps, but that's a story for next time.

Please, help yourself!