How two brothers turned their family's business that was struggling to an international success

Even as youngsters, Kuni and Tomo Hijikata believed that their business was something worth fighting for. The company was founded in Nagoya, Japan back in 1936 in 1936, the Hijikata family's foundry that was made from cast iron was known for its extreme accuracy. It was however, at the time it was in the early 1990s, the future of the company was uncertain. Since they were the inheritors of the long-running business, Kuni and Tomo knew they had the responsibility to ensure that their casting iron manufacturing process intact.

The two brothers were employed in Toyota in Toyota and Toyota Tsusho However, they were intrigued by the possibility of creating cast iron cookware to be handed down to generations. They decided to leave working full time to be entirely focused on the maintenance of their family's business. They trained on the floor of the foundry as craftsmen prior to establishing the business in the year 2010. Vermicular was born. After their first cast iron pot went on the market, the volume of orders surpassed that of the backorder for 15 months mostly due to enthusiastic word-of-mouth.

10 years later, and 10 years and 10 years on, and the Vermicular team is setting targets for expansion all over the world. They are which includes China as well as the U.S., China, as well as beyond. To help communicate the benefits of their kitchenware to emerging, international marketplaces, Vermicular has invested heavily in video to promote its products. "Without the videos we'd be having a harder to expand our operations," says Mark Hayashi who is the chief of Vermicular's U.S. Office. We caught up with Kuni, Tomo, and Mark to learn more about Vermicular's plans to expand worldwide by using video. Read their tales above, as well as the complete interview below.

"We constantly consider the video content we create as the extension of our products and brand. Video content is more effective than written words, and this is especially true when it comes to cooking." Mark Hayashi, Vermicular's Head of U.S. Office

     What was the procedure for this particular product?    

Tomo: "I thought that we could use our firm's cast iron expertise to create enameled cast iron containers which have lids that fit perfectly. There wasn't any precedent for this process in Japan. We were aware that we'd need to invent this process entirely on our own.

To gain knowledge of everything that we could learn, Kuni and I sat in the middle in the findry. Kuni was a skilled craftsman in casting while I became a machinery expert. We had to wait for three years, and more than 10,000 times before coming to a solution that met our expectations."

     How did you go to establish your business in Japan?    

Mark: "Brand storytelling has always been at the heart of our communication and marketing strategies. Telling stories of our unique history and commitment to craftsmanship is a big hit with customers and made us feel more connected to the customers at a intimate and personal level.

First, we had to create videos that reflected the mission of our brand. When we create videos about branding or a instructional video on how to use a product, ensure they are representative of the people we're. In the beginning, we weren't so focused on the future sales that might be made in the near future, rather, we focused on maximizing customers' satisfaction through a long-term view."

     What has been your biggest obstacle in building the Vermicular name outside of Japan?    

Mark: "Our biggest challenge was the communication barriers. Since the introduction of Vermicular in the year 2010, we've encountered a variety of issues. Vermicular was launched in 2010. We've developed a strong brand identity throughout Japan but nothing has was moved to the outside world of Japan. All we needed to accomplish was to begin building the Vermicular brand from scratch which was difficult and needed significant preparation before the launch."

     What was the first place you invested in order to establish your brand internationally?    

     Your brand-named content is evidently beautiful. How did you achieve this quality?

Mark: "We worked with a advertising agency to create the promotional video for our company and we spent quite some time deciding on the look and feel of the lighting, casting, clothing , as well as food style. Additionally, we took an extended time working with our teams to create video storyboards, which became the primary guideline during all stages, including the day of filming.

Because there are a variety of people during the shooting, there are almost always unplanned setbacks, which can lead to delays in the onset. A good storyboard which includes a detailed shoot schedule helps create clear expectations and helps all the people who is working on the shoot to focus in the same direction. The storyboards we create not only serve as a precise map for the shoot day, it also helped us overcome post-production challenges. This is especially important for smaller-scale companies with limited resources."

     Which are the top areas to invest your money to produce to continue expanding?    

Mark: "Our hypothesis was that we would create a product-related video, which included tutorial videos designed to help customers get the most out of induction cookware. According to our brand statement, our goal doesn't end when customers place an purchase of our cookware.

We want to ensure that our customers love cooking with our Vermicular cookware over the longest duration of time possible. We've seen clear outcomes from these how-to-videos as they aid in the training of cookware proprietors, but can also assist shoppers in getting more familiar with how to use the cookware."

     Has video assisted in the creation of an image to Vermicular worldwide?    

Mark: "Definitely! There's lots. Video assets are an extension of our brand as well as our products. While we might not have the largest money, we do have a lot of time trying to find the story and the format of the videos that are most effective in telling the story. Videos always perform better than the written word This is true especially when it comes to cooking."

What is the reason for us to use HTML0 in order to embed and host your YouTube video?

Mark: "We prefer for many reasons, with one of the main reasons being the options for embedding video. It's clutter-free and completely free of advertisements. This ensures smooth user experiences across the website and protects the "touch and sensation" of our brand.

also helps us also share information between teams in both the U.S. and Japan, that makes it simpler to get feedback regardless of the fact that you're thousands of miles away."

     What's next to be the next stage for Vermicular?    

Kuni: "More creative products are being created and we'll continue to increase the range of products we offer in and across the U.S. and across various Asian countries."

Mark: "We are currently planning our video content strategy that comprises branded videos featuring a variety of chefs and farms to product explanation videos as well in instructional videos which will be our key assets for future years."

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