Vol.55

From a fan to an employee. Deliver what you love to as many people as possible.

Introducing Ms. Minami, who works at the Tokyo Store. Before becoming an employee, Ms. Minami had been a fan of IKEUCHI ORGANIC, participating in the Imabari Open House. We asked her to tell us why she decided to work at IKEUCHI ORGANIC as an employee and her aspirations for the future.

Tokyo Store South

Attracted by the way the company is run, I have been a fan since I was a student.

I am Minami from IKEUCHI ORGANIC Tokyo Store.

I first became aware of IKEUCHI ORGANIC when I was a university student, and I was a member of Associate Professor Junya Yamaguchi’s laboratory at Nagasaki University. Professor Yamaguchi, who also appeared in ” IKEUCHI People, ” has been keeping an eye on IKEUCHI ORGANIC for more than 20 years as he has been researching local industries for many years.

I had the opportunity to visit Kyoto for an activity in Professor Yamaguchi’s laboratory, and he took all the seminar students to the Kyoto Store. It was the first time for me to visit the store and touch IKEUCHI ORGANIC towels.

I was impressed by all the towels in the store, but I was particularly shocked by the Organic Air. I was surprised to find such a light, airy, and fluffy towel.

After that, I started following IKEUCHI ORGANIC’s news and often visited their store events when they had a store in Fukuoka. The more I learned about IKEUCHI ORGANIC’s philosophy and corporate attitude toward manufacturing, the more I was attracted to IKEUCHI ORGANIC.

Another reason I was attracted to IKEUCHI ORGANIC was the relationship with its fans. For example, when we exhibited our corporate booth at the Gion Festival in Kyoto, our fans volunteered to help us. I thought it was wonderful to have a relationship that is not just that of a manufacturer and a customer, but one that is like that of family and friends.

Because I felt this way, the option of applying for employment at IKEUCHI ORGANIC also crossed my mind when I was looking for a job as a new graduate. However, I had an image of IKEUCHI ORGANIC as a small, elite company, and I feared that my lack of experience might cause trouble, so I did not choose that option.

I continued to be a fan of IKEUCHI ORGANIC even after I started working and participated in the Imabari Open House, which I had longed to do. Then, in my fourth year of work, just as I was beginning to think about changing jobs, I saw a notice that IKEUCHI ORGANIC was looking for employees, and I took the plunge and applied.

Words from the President that encouraged me to apply

I applied for a position that said they were looking for a “to I” (i.e., IKEUCHI people) person who would break down the barriers between “to C” store operations and “to B” corporate sales operations, and deliver towels to people who share their passion for the company.

When I applied for the job, I was not confident in myself. I had no experience in customer service or sales, and I was still concerned about whether I would be able to contribute properly as a member of IKEUCHI ORGANIC. Because this is a company I love, I still couldn’t shake off the feeling of what if I caused trouble.

Nevertheless, I was able to boldly apply for the job because of a word that Mr. Abe, the president, said to me during the job orientation for this position.

When I told him that I lacked self-confidence, he said, “You always have a great smile when you come to store events, Minami-kun. So I think you’ll be fine.” He encouraged me to give it a try.

Also, although I was not confident about how well I could do the job, I was at least confident about my feeling of “I love IKEUCHI ORGANIC towels. If so, I wanted to be honest about that feeling and deliver what I love to as many people as possible.

I started working at IKEUCHI ORGANIC in March 2023. Because I love the company, I thought daily about what I could do for customers and the store, and I was challenged with various tasks. I am very happy when customers leave the store with a smile on their face or come back again.

On the other hand, I enjoy working with the warm hearts of everyone, including Store Manager Conductor Masuda and Tokyo Store Manager Fukuyama, who follow up on my weak points.

I want to expand the circle of IKEUCHI people.

What I feel at IKEUCHI ORGANIC is that I do not feel guilty at all when I introduce our products to customers.

Our corporate philosophy is “maximum safety and minimum environmental impact,” and we never waver from that, and we continue to push forward with our manufacturing. Looking inside the company as an employee, I felt that these words were not false at all.

I also realize that although IKEUCHI ORGANIC is a small company, we are supported by many people because of that.

From our customers who support us, to our partner companies, to our individual partners who help us with various tasks. We sometimes receive warm, yet core opinions from them, and I feel a deep and deep connection with them that cannot be achieved through a business-like relationship.

Of course, I believe this is due to the fact that each and every employee, including the president and CEO, has built a relationship of trust with each and every one of them. However, it is precisely because IKEUCHI ORGANIC towels, which serve as the first bridge, have such power that we have received such strong love from everyone.

This is truly a circle of people that I would like to call “IKEUCHI people. I would like to contribute to the healthy expansion of this circle.

There are still many things I am not up to, but as a member of IKEUCHI ORGANIC, I would like to convey to as many people as possible the richness of a life with comfortable towels and the joy of choosing towels.

Interview September 2023
Interview and text by Keiji Ide
Photographer: Yuji Kimura