Transforming agriculture into the food industry
Transforming agriculture into the food industry
About Izunuma Nosan
Our origin: "Transforming agriculture into the food industry"
Founder Hideo Ito's "The Reason I Started Making Ham"
and "The Reason I Started the Restaurant"
[Questioning the Agriculture of the Time]
Before founding Izunuma Nosan in 1988, it was said that farmers who expanded their scale and reduced costs were considered advanced. Frankly, I had doubts about this approach. "Prioritizing efficiency, increasing productivity, and focusing only on labor-saving measures—who is this production really for?" The path I chose was to focus on a proper scale of pig farming, enhancing value through meat processing and sales.
Photo: Hideo Ito in the early days of founding
[Agriculture is the Job of "Producing Food that Reaches People's Mouths"]
I believe that agriculture carries the responsibility of delivering the food we produce to those who will consume it. When I considered agriculture as food production, I began to see the many tasks that need to be done. Processing and selling agricultural products, running a restaurant that utilizes them... By shifting the perspective to "agriculture = food industry," a variety of jobs become possible. For this reason, the company was named "Izunuma Nosan (= Izunuma Agricultural Products)" instead of "Izunuma Ham."
Photo: The original building of the restaurant, KUMPEL
[Creating Dishes that Make the Most of Good Ingredients]
We are deeply familiar with the pigs used as ingredients, from the breeds to the breeding methods, through close contact with our designated farmers. At the restaurant, we focus on cooking methods that bring out the best of the ingredients. While the future of agriculture is uncertain, I believe that by practicing the philosophy of "agriculture = food industry," the path forward will naturally unfold.
[The Evolution of Our Corporate Philosophy]
In 2004, we established "Project-I" with the aim of helping local residents rediscover the treasures of their community, take pride in them, and attract customers. We wish to combine "things" produced in rural areas with the "spirit" of the people who live there, creating products and services with rich storytelling, all within the "place" of the rural community. Izunuma Nosan’s "Nosan" (= agricultural products) will continue to evolve towards the creation of "industrialization of agricultural communities."
Our Dedication
We are committed to a fully integrated system within the region, from the production of raw materials to processing and sales. Although our scale is small, our desire is to connect "food" and "agriculture" within a scope we can oversee ourselves. This is our wish.
The Production Site
About 70 kilometers north of Sendai City, there is a district called Nitta in Hasama-cho, Tome City. Our farm is located in this rural area, which is surrounded by vast fields.
At our own farm, we engage in pig farming, rice cultivation, and blueberry farming. While there are no days off in the work of nurturing life, we continue to take on challenges every day to deliver safety and security.
The Processing Site
Our goal is to deliver safe and delicious products to your table. To achieve this, our dedicated staff taste-tests every single pig from the "Date’s Pure Red Pork" to check its flavor. If it does not meet our quality standards, it will not be shipped as meat. Additionally, in the production of hams and sausages, we minimize the use of additives as much as possible, focusing on processing that preserves the natural umami and texture of the pork itself.
The Sales Site
Products processed at our in-house factory are delivered to our on-site restaurant and farmers market. Both the restaurant and the farmers market are places where we share the story of how we, along with local farmers, create our products.
We connect the makers and you, our customers, by sharing who made the products, how they were made, and how they can be enjoyed.
