How two brothers turned their struggling family business into the world's most recognized company

When they were young children, Kuni and Tomo Hijikata believed that their firm was worth fighting for. Established by the Hijikata family in Nagoya, Japan back in 1936 The Hijikata family's foundry made of cast iron was known for its meticulous accuracy. However, by the time it was in the early 90s the future of the company was at risk. As heirs to the long-standing company, Kuni and Tomo knew they had the responsibility to ensure that their iron casting craftsmanship in the present.

In the early days, both brothers worked at Toyota in Japan, as well as Toyota Tsusho however, they saw a potential in the design of cast iron cookware meant to last generations -- so each brother quit their full-time jobs to go completely focused on the preservation of the family-owned business. The brothers were trained at the bottom of the foundry, as craftsmen before launching the company in 2010. Vermicular began to take shape. The first time their cast iron pot hit the market, demand was so high that they had to create a 15-month backorder, fueled largely by enthusiastic word of mouth.

A decade later, more than a decade later, the Vermicular team is setting their targets for expansion across the globe, and now selling their products across markets like the U.S., China, as well as beyond. To best communicate the value of their cooking equipment to the new, international markets, Vermicular has invested heavily in the creation of videos that promote their products. "Without the videos we'd have a tougher time expanding our business," says Mark Hayashi the Vermicular's Director of the U.S. Office. We spoke with Kuni, Tomo, and Mark to get a better understanding of Vermicular's approach to going global with video. Check out their video above, and then read the entire interview below.

"We constantly consider our video assets to be the extension of our brand and products. Videos are more powerful over writing, and this is true especially in the realm of cooking."   Mark Hayashi, Vermicular's Head of U.S. Office

 How did you develop this product?

Tomo: "I thought that we could make use of our company's experience in casting iron to design enameled cast iron containers that have lids perfectly fitted. There was nothing precedent for that process in Japan. We were aware that we'd be required to create it ourselves.

To master everything that we could about the subject, Kuni and I apprenticed at the bottom of the foundry. Kuni turned into a casting craftsman and I became a precision machine specialist. We needed three years, and 10,000 times to develop a design which met our expectations."

 What was the process of creating your brand's image within Japan?

Mark: "Brand storytelling has been at the basis of our communication and marketing strategies. Sharing stories that reflect our distinct heritage and our commitment to excellence resonated with our audience and helped us connect with them on a deeper level.

We started by crafting ideas for videos around the mission of our brand. If we are creating a branding story video or how-to-product videos We make sure that our content reflects the person we're. We began by saying that we didn't focus so long on the sales that would be made in the near future, but instead prioritized maximizing the customer's satisfaction from a longer-term standpoint."

 What has been your biggest issue in creating Vermicular? Vermicular brand beyond Japan?

Mark: "Our biggest challenge was the barriers to communication. Since the launch of the Vermicular brand in 2010, we've established a solid brand presence in Japan but nothing has could be transferred outside of Japan. The only thing we had to do was start creating the Vermicular brand from scratch, this was difficult and took intensive preliminary preparations."

 Which was your first investment in order to establish international recognition of your brand?

 The content you have created for your brand is clearly gorgeous. How did you achieve this high standard?

Mark: "We collaborated with the branding agency for the brand video and we spent quite some time deciding on the look and feel' of the lighting, wardrobe, and casting, and food styling. We also spent quite some time bouncing back and forth on crafting video storyboards that became the guiding star during the entire process, including shooting days.

With so many people involved during the shooting, there are almost always unexpected setbacks resulting in delays at the onset. A solid storyboard that includes a detailed shot list helps set clear expectations and guide everyone who is involved in the shooting to follow the identical direction. The storyboards did not just serve as a clear map of our hectic shoot days but they also assisted us to avoid post-production woes. It's especially important for smaller brands who have limited funds."

 Which are the best places to invest your money to produce while you expand?

Mark: "Our hypothesis was making a promotional video with a series of how-to videos to help our customers enjoy the full capabilities of the induction cookware. According to our brand mission, our goal doesn't come to an end once customers have made purchases of our cookware.

We want to see our customers love cooking using the Vermicular cookware to the maximum extent possible. We've noticed clear results of these instructional videos as they assist in educating the owners but also help shoppers have a better understanding about the use of the cookware."

 Did video aid in creating an image for Vermicular around the world?

Mark: "Definitely! There's a lot. The way we think about our video assets to be an extension of our brand and our products. While we might not have the biggest budget, but we're spending hours trying to figure out the structure and narrative of videos that will best tell our story. Visuals are always more effective over writing, and this is especially true in the realm of cooking."

 What are the reasons the team use the HTML0 format to embed and host videos?

Mark: "We prefer for many reasons, the primary being 's customizable features to embed video. A clutter-free, ad-free user experience ensures seamless user experiences throughout the site and safeguards the "touch and feel" of our name.

Also, it allows us to share documents between our teams from both the U.S. and Japan, which makes it easier to obtain feedback, even when you're thousands of miles apart."

 What's the next step in the future for Vermicular?

Kuni: "More innovative products are in the works and we'll be expanding our offerings of products in both the U.S. and across various Asian countries."

Mark: "We are currently planning our video content strategy which includes branded content that includes various producers and chefs, to explanation videos and how-to-videos that are going to be our most valuable assets over the next few years."