Innovation in Minced Pork Cutlets (Part 2)

Congratulations to all our new employees. While I'm not entirely sure what specifically makes your second year different, you radiate a distinctive aura that's instantly recognizable. It's been about 20 years since then. I now truly understand why the older guys said, "It feels like the orientation was just yesterday." I'm sure I have about 20 years left until retirement. I want to help foster as much innovation as possible, so I won't have any regrets.

This is Chop Katsu.

 

Anyway. Back to the "Chop Katsu" initiative, our effort to innovate the minced meat cutlet. Last time, I covered how we settled on the name starting from the concept of "a minced meat cutlet like steak." This time, I'll explain how we developed concrete strategies in "polishing" mode.

The core focus was, of course, "product development." My prototype was ultimately just an amateur's hobby. We needed to source ingredients with mass production in mind, season it so many people could enjoy it consistently, and consider things like shape by working backward from the frying time. It became a process of creating concrete plans, constantly balancing the dream of the concept—"a steak-like menchikatsu"—with the realities of the kitchen floor.

The person who took on the most challenging role this time was Takee-san, the experienced chef at Kojima Shoten. He patiently listened to my freely expressed dreams. In fact, Takee-san's very first prototype was a "delicious meat cutlet." It had a well-balanced, subtle flavor and tasted like a dish from a wonderful Western-style restaurant. However, what we were aiming for was a product that felt more "meaty." We sat down and talked repeatedly. Drawing on his years of experience, we challenged him to avoid instinctively making a "meat cutlet" and to resist the urge to "balance" the flavors. Then, one day early this year, he said, "Ah, I think I get it." From that point on, Takee-san's recipe became bold. Simultaneously, the flavor transformed into something distinctly different from a typical "meat cutlet."

This is the kind of meat we pack inside.

 

Of course, the beef used showcases the true expertise of "Kojima Shoten, the long-established Wagyu wholesaler." This series uses "only Japanese Black Wagyu," and it's meat of a surprisingly high caliber. Other professionals, like "onion specialists" and "experts in kneading and shaping large quantities," also contributed. Working together under the vision of creating a "steak-like menchi katsu," their new teamwork resulted in the "chop katsu."

 

This is AD Sekido-san.

The design was handled by Art Director Kimiko Sekido. There was once a wildly popular advertising slogan: "I'm amazing even when I take it off." With Sekido-san, we discussed wanting a product that "looks stylish at first glance, but when you bite into it, the raw, meaty texture hits you." After much trial and error, we settled on the design nicknamed "Chop Man."

We welcomed many customers.

 

Thanks to everyone, our debut at Keio Department Store was a huge success, selling about 10,000 pieces in just 7 days. We were even featured on programs like Mezamashi TV, making it a truly auspicious start. At the same time, we identified many areas for improvement, like product specifications that still didn't fully express our concept.

If we define innovation as "things or actions that bring irreversible change to people's behaviors, habits, and values," then our ambition with Kojima Shoten is to create a shift in society where people "can no longer be satisfied with ordinary minced cutlets." And similarly, for hamburgers – another minced meat dish – we aim to compete with our ultra-coarsely ground "Chop Hamburger." We know this is an incredibly ambitious goal, but this kind of slight excitement seems essential for innovation.

Unfortunately, the "Chopped Cutlet" is currently unavailable for purchase. However, we are preparing our systems and will gradually expand distribution channels, so please look forward to it.

Enjoy!