Kewpie Corporation Representative Director, President and CEO, Osamu Chonan

Not just mayonnaise! A company committed to the health of the nation

Representative Director, President and CEO, Kewpie Corporation
Osamu Chonan

Profile

Osamu Chonan

Born in Yamagata Prefecture in 1956. After graduating from the Faculty of Fisheries at Kagoshima University in 1980, he joined Kewpie Corporation. After working in the factory, sales headquarters, and sales departments, he has served as branch manager in Sendai, Osaka, Tokyo, and other locations since 2001. He was appointed executive officer in 2013 and director the following year in 2014. He was appointed representative director and president in February 2017, a position he holds to this day.

Kewpie Corporation develops many popular products, including mayonnaise and dressings. The foundation of this trust is the company's sincere commitment to the philosophy passed down from its founder. This sincerity is also evident in an anecdote from President Chonan, who took office in 2017. We spoke to him about the current state of Kewpie and its outlook for the future.

I was devoted to soccer in junior high and high school, but at university (Faculty of Fisheries) I was strongly encouraged by a senior to join the cutter club. It was a tough club, with 27 members joining but eventually dropping to just 7, and I practiced every day until my hands and bottoms were covered in blood. I desperately wanted to quit, but I didn't have the courage to ask to quit, and in the end I even served as captain.　

■Joined the company after participating in a training program that was offered to me by chance

I studied food processing technology at the Faculty of Fisheries, so I wanted to continue working in the food industry. When I was in my fourth year of university and had begun to think about job hunting, a professor at university introduced me to a part-time training program at Kewpie. It's what we would now call an internship. I spent a week at the research lab in Chofu, a week at the Goka factory in Ibaraki, and then had an interview at the head office. Of all the places I went, the factory had a very homey atmosphere and the way they valued ties with the local community was what really attracted me. I ended up receiving a job offer, so I ended up working for Kewpie without applying to other companies.

■ Became president after extensive field experience

I worked at the factory, which was my dream job, for about six years. I had planned my life around working at the factory, so I was shocked when the factory asked me to transfer to the sales department at the head office, but naturally I couldn't refuse, so I worked in the marketing department for one year and the product department for one year. After that, I was transferred to Osaka for the first time as a front-line salesperson, and have been working in sales ever since. I was appointed president in 2017, after serving as manager of the salad and prepared food business for one year.

■ Developing products that are the first of their kind in Japan

Kewpie's strength is that it "doesn't copy others." We were the first in Japan to start manufacturing and selling not only mayonnaise and dressings, but also products such as meat sauce and commercial nursing care food. Our founder taught us that, unless there is a customer complaint and we can solve it with our technology, we should not easily step into a business that is exclusively run by others.

■Traditional and unique company culture

Based on the words of our founder, "Don't work by title," in fact, until 1990, employee business cards did not list any job titles, including president. That's why new employees call me "Chonan-san." There is no president's office and we have free desks, so it's a company where everyone can work openly on the same floor. Kewpie's philosophy also includes a company motto unique to our company. Our motto is "Cherish your parents," and this is the idea that if you are someone who is naturally grateful for the unconditional love that parents have for their children, you will naturally find more colleagues around you.

■ I want to work with people who can continue to work on things honestly.

Rather than focusing on the knowledge they have acquired, I would like to work with people who are honest and sincere, and who are able to take on challenges with a strong sense of self. When I was a student, I wanted to quit the cutting club, but I was clumsy but persevered, and it allowed me to see many different things. Rather than focusing on technique or trying to do things well, if you are honest and sincere in working to your full potential in your current environment, there are people who will help you, and building such friendships is in line with Kewpie's philosophy. Since sincerity, in which you thoroughly consider what is right in light of the philosophy rather than short-term profits, is what makes the Kewpie brand the most trusted, I would like to work with people who value that kind of attitude.

■Salads and eggs support happiness in life

When people think of Kewpie, 90% of them think of mayonnaise, yet mayonnaise actually accounts for only about 12% of total sales. While Kewpie is often associated with mayonnaise and dressings, often seen as "supporting ingredients" on the dinner table, the company also boasts many other products that could play a leading role. In addition to condiments and prepared foods, Kewpie's commercial products include salads, side dishes, and processed egg products, all of which could play a leading role. Expanding these products to the home market has been one of my dreams since becoming president. Another goal is to bring smiles to the world through salads and eggs. Eggs are highly nutritious, as they hatch chicks. Supplementing them with dietary fiber and vitamin C through salads creates a nutritionally balanced diet. The postwar increase in average life expectancy among Japanese people is due in part to increased consumption of animal products, such as meat, fish, and eggs. Eggs, therefore, are an important ingredient in supporting good health. Incidentally, Japanese people have the second highest per capita egg consumption in the world, and Kewpie uses 10% of Japan's domestic egg production. That's why I believe Kewpie's mission going forward is to brighten up an aging society in an era where people can live to be 100 years old by supporting health through salads and eggs.

■Please give us a message for university students

One of my favorite sayings is "A good tree has fine roots." The better the tree, the more fine roots it has that run deep underground. The roots may not be visible on the surface, but they support everything. As Kazuo Inamori said, "The results of your life and work are determined by your mindset x enthusiasm x ability," so I believe that by honing the invisible aspects of your mindset and enthusiasm, you can maximize your abilities and move in the right direction. With the impact of COVID-19, you may be feeling anxious about the future, but face it with passion!

Student Newspaper WEB Interviewed on December 17, 2020 by Nao Suzuki, 4th year student at International Christian University