Kawaki Foods – Kesennuma Shishiori Processing Cooperative Association

Kawaki Foods is a top-ranked producer of salmon roe items that are loved by everyone

People love Kawaki Foods’ salmon roe items because they are not salty and do not have an unpleasant fishy smell. To provide tasty products, the company is very careful about where and when they obtain their salmon and manufactures different types of roe commodities according to market needs.

Taste and materials

To the delight of customers everywhere, the mild and flavorful Kawaki Foods’ items are available at supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants nationwide.

Taste and materials

Equipment

Kawaki Foods delivers safe food items manufactured under thorough quality management at its factory certified by HACCP/ISO 9001.

Equipment

Craftsmanship

Kawaki’s dedication lies in serving the customers.

Kawaki Foods Co., Ltd. Executive Managing Director: Kazuo Sugawara (at the time)

A flavor that is both gentle and robust, favored by women and children.

Driving from Kesennuma towards Rikuzentakata, we arrived at the processing plant of KawaKi Foods Co., Ltd. The site was spacious, with towering buildings housing the factory, storage facilities, and offices. Here, they manufacture ikura (salmon roe). The factory is known for its strict quality standards, having received “HACCP certification” and “ISO 9001 certification,” ensuring thorough quality control. The impressive scale of KawaKikum Foods was evident from the fact that they produce only ikura products in this excellent environment.

From Kesennuma to Kesennuma, A magnificent journey of life.

After graduating from a local elementary and middle school, he attended Ofunato Industrial High School, and his first job was in Tokyo in the computer-related field. He worked at a major airline’s Haneda Center, which was essentially the heart of the IT industry at the time. Then, at the age of 22, he returned to Kesennuma and switched to a company dealing with refrigerators. Later, he was transferred to Morioka. At the age of 27, he returned to Kesennuma again and changed jobs to a gas company. This decision was driven by his desire to stay close to his parents as their eldest son and provide them with peace of mind. It was during this job change that Sugawara’s turning point came. Without going into too much detail, he was headhunted due to his diligent work ethic. It was recognition from the president of the company that supplied gas, leading him to join Kawaki Foods at the age of 31.

“For our customers. For Kesennuma. We want to keep working hard for both.”

Right now, what’s on Mr. Sugawara’s mind is the attitude of approaching things “from the customer’s perspective” and his feelings towards “Kesennuma”. He believes that constantly working with the customer in mind is not only beneficial for the customers but also for the company. And he believes that this will also contribute to the future of Kesennuma. He expressed firmly, “I want to set aside personal interests and work towards developing the future of Kesennuma.”

Mr. Sugawara’s favorite phrase is “Giri-ninjo” (sense of duty and humanity), and another one he loves is from a famous figure: “If you want to succeed, love what you do.” If we replace the first “you” with “Kesennuma,” it perfectly encapsulates Mr. Sugawara’s sentiments. He believes that with everyone’s effort, the development of Kesennuma will surely succeed. It’s a powerful message.

When asked about his personal dreams, after a moment of thought, he smiles and says, “Holding my grandchild, who will be born someday.” One can easily imagine Mr. Sugawara feeding his grandchild with small spoonfuls of ikura, and it’s a heartwarming image.