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Leading High Performing Remote Teams
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ZOPA and BATNA
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Sustainable Innovation in Times of Disruption: Choices for a Better Society
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It's time to find out.
Social Media & Digital Communications: Impact on Global Public Opinion
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Blockchain
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Mehrabian’s Rule
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Pareto Principle
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Country Analysis Framework
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SECI Model
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Johari Window Model
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CAGE Distance Framework
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Groupthink
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Deductive and Inductive Reasoning
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Critical Thinking: Hypothesis-Driven Thinking
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Critical Thinking: Structured Reasoning
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Critical Thinking: Problem-Solving
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How to Dream
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Logical Thinking
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Investing & Diversity: The Changing Faces of Venture Capitalists
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Servant Leadership
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Organizational Behavior and Leadership
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Strategy: Creating Value Inside Your Company
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Strategy: Understanding the External Environment
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MECE Principle
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Founded in 1937, Ebematsu Shoji is a trading house specializing in kitchenware, restaurant atmosphere creation, and cuisine experience production. The business is based in Tsubame-Sanjo (Niigata Prefecture) and offers services to clients nationwide. KPMG Consulting Strategy and Transformation Partner Cristian Vlad spoke with Ebematsu Shoji’s third-generation CEO, Masahiro Ebe, about the future of trading, innovation, social impact, strategy, and people operations.
Cristian Vlad: What is it like to be a third-generation CEO and owner?
Masahiro Ebe: Since I was a child, adults around me often told me that I was destined to take over the family business. As a result, I vaguely had the idea that I would someday inherit the company my great-grandfather established a long time ago.
However, growing up in a small town in Niigata Prefecture—too small, in my childhood to even be called a regional city, and geographically far from the glitzy urban lifestyle of major metropolitan areas in Japan—I couldn’t help but question whether I would spend my entire life in such a place without getting to experience life on the other side of the mountains.
I often overheard my father talking about work with my mother at home, and it always sounded like a painful, exhausting ordeal with no shred of enjoyment. Because of these narrow perspectives and impressions, I initially had complex and mixed feelings, and I thought that I would never take over the management of the company my grandfather had started.
It was my sister’s husband, who was already working at the firm, who eventually convinced me to join. He mentioned that, although I might have a vague idea of what my father’s work entailed, I didn’t fully understand the scope of it. He told me that the company also collaborated with the restaurants I frequently visited, as well as well-known establishments often featured in gourmet magazines or on TV. He said that once I joined the company and saw it for myself, I would find it incredibly exciting. As I am quite passionate about food and people, that conversation ultimately led me to join the company.
When I joined the company, I was overwhelmed to see how the products we handled were being shipped to so many places across the country—restaurants, hospitals providing meals to staff and patients, school lunch programs, company cafeterias, and much more. At that time, the company operated very much like a typical small business in rural Japan, with a patriarchal leader issuing “follow me” directives that everyone adhered to.
However, when I became president, I found that leadership style didn’t suit me at all, and that caused some serious challenges for many people at the firm. Most of the employees were used to receiving detailed instructions, and my approach of asking, “What do you think we should do?” or “What would you like to do?” instead of giving direct, detailed orders left those who valued strong leadership feeling like my leadership style was weak.
It took time for people to understand the importance of expressing what the company truly valued and how I strived to align culture and business operations with modern times. It was a difficult exercise in changing mindsets in order to impact work behavior. People had a hard time learning how to bring their whole selves to work, to collaborate openly and sincerely, to learn proactively, and to take joy in work. Having fun at work seemed to be a totally alien concept to many.
Now, however, I feel genuinely happy to see that more and more colleagues are beginning to understand and embrace this new style of work, collaboration, and significant value creation.
Cristian Vlad: What does the future of the trading business look like?
Masahiro Ebe: The kitchenware we supply—used in restaurants, supermarkets, school lunch programs, hospital kitchens, food manufacturing, etc.—can essentially be purchased from anywhere. Smaller restaurants and supermarkets often stock what they frequently need. It seems that most people don’t have trouble finding places to buy kitchenware.
However, when I talk to small restaurant owners, I’m often struck by how many of them use tools that, from the perspective of a company specializing in kitchenware, seem far from ideal. We frequently find ourselves saying, “Why are you using that? There’s a much better option!” While some chefs share product recommendations within their networks, their knowledge doesn’t always compare to what suppliers can offer.
I imagine a future where there’s a more streamlined system that goes beyond individual chef networks, connecting suppliers with users in a way that’s not about simply buying and selling but about sharing genuine recommendations—such as fans saying, “This is great, you should try it.” Such a system would allow chefs to easily discover better products and purchase them effortlessly, creating a win-win for everyone involved.
Therefore, I see the trading business becoming more integrated and far more user-centric. Historically, whenever we manufactured something of good quality, there would always be a market for it. Trading firms now have to do more than simple commerce—we have to be good marketers, communicators, business designers, emotional architects, and experienced engineers.
The times of simply pushing products into the market are over—we need to work on creating ultimate experiences for the clients using our products, and that takes a lot of emotional intelligence and genuine customer intimacy. Our customers don’t always know exactly what they want. They have problems that they need to solve, and I strongly believe that it is the job of the modern trader to help them solve those problems through behavioral observation, passion for creating enjoyable experiences (not just functional product utilization), and modern customer insights. Our customers and their expectations have evolved, and so must we.
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Cristian Vlad: How can small and mid-size businesses from Japan create and maintain a competitive advantage?
Masahiro Ebe: When it comes to tools used in professional cooking, we often receive inquiries from across Japan from clients asking, “Is there a tool for this?,” or “How can we improve productivity?” or “What equipment is essential for making this dish?” Together with our customers, we work to solve these challenges. Our employees are all passionate about food, so we genuinely enjoy tackling these problems alongside our clients.
I believe that while there may be other companies doing similar work and offering similar services, the reason customers choose us is that they see us as trusted partners who genuinely collaborate to find significant solutions. I believe that the days of innovative cosmetics in business are over. We need to show up committed to creating solutions of impact, based on genuine firsthand insights.
We can no longer guesstimate what our clients want or need by reading market research and playing strategy in corporate offices—we have to be where our customers are, observing them, learning together with them, failing together, and growing together. To my mind, this is what real customer intimacy is all about.
With Japanese cuisine gaining popularity worldwide, we are confident in our ability to provide products and expertise that address the challenges our customers face. Based on our product lineup, market insights, and the hands-on knowledge we have accumulated over the years, we are able to support Japanese restaurants around the world with their unique needs and challenges.
As a team that loves food, we hope to turn our customers into fans by sharing their passion for cooking and creating memorable experiences, while building strong, lasting relationships across markets and geographies.
Cristian Vlad: How can Ebematsu Shoji create social impact for the local community?
Masahiro Ebe: Tsubame-Sanjo has recently gained recognition for its manufacturing expertise, particularly in steel utensils, kitchenware, tools for home improvement, and camping gear. Our company focuses on professional-grade kitchenware, and while many manufacturers have shifted production overseas, we continue to source locally made kitchenware from the Tsubame-Sanjo region.
As a trading firm, we take pride in supporting and contributing to the local manufacturing industry. Every day, we ship kitchenware made in Tsubame-Sanjo to restaurants all over Japan. In this sense, we see ourselves as playing a vital role, like a network of blood veins, delivering the products of local manufacturers to customers nationwide.
While doing that, I am also strongly committed to creating a work environment that is both productive and enjoyable. By collaborating with other companies and learning from their strengths, we are gradually helping to improve the local working environment in ways we can directly influence. It may be a slow process, but I believe we’re making a meaningful impact.
I would like to see other businesses in the region investing as much and as committedly in talent and in creating joy at work. I strongly believe that creating enjoyable work experiences and committing to diversity and integration in the workplace will help younger generations choose to stay, work, and grow their careers within the region, and, thus, contribute sustainably to the future business progress and evolution of our local society.
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Cristian Vlad: What kind of impact do you want to bring about while you are running the business?
Masahiro Ebe: As the CEO of a small to mid-sized company in rural Japan, I am fortunate to be in a position where I have some freedom to shape the workplace to best fit the emerging expectations of our younger colleagues. This makes me happy because it allows me to address things I found frustrating in my previous jobs, working at other firms, and turn my vision of an ideal work environment into reality.
Six years ago, we built a new office designed to foster communication—an open space where people could easily see and talk to each other. Just like how a restaurant feels more welcoming when the staff genuinely enjoy what they do and customers can easily see what goes on in the open kitchen, I believed that a happy, engaged team would lead to better customer service and to generating more creative and impactful ideas.
But at first, even when I encouraged employees to talk more, many still clung to traditional Japanese work culture, where staying silent and working diligently was the norm. It took about two years after moving into the new office to foster open conversations, which would start happening naturally. Now, six years in, the quality of communication has improved significantly. People are no longer shocked when I speak to them directly and ask them how they are doing or how they spent their weekend.
We are currently working on building a company cafeteria. Most people enjoy their meals while chatting and sharing culinary moments with others, and I believe this will encourage even more conversations in the workplace. A relaxed, comfortable atmosphere leads to a more energized company, and I am confident that the open cafeteria will contribute to that.
Of course, since we specialize in kitchen equipment, I also see it as an opportunity to showcase our products, to prototype, and to share insights related to our business. In many old-school, traditional Japanese companies, there are many rules that everyone knows but which do not make much sense, yet everyone follows them anyway because “that’s just how it’s always been.”
However, I believe it is high time to change those outdated practices. It has been ten years since I became CEO of the firm, but seeing my work colleagues genuinely enjoy their work brings me immense happiness, pride, and conviction that change can happen and that the future is bright for those who push forward and continue to create significant value for customers, work colleagues, and society.
This is what I think culture is all about, and, to us, it is so much more than lipstick in employee branding initiatives. It is more than sporadic events and flash-in-the-pan get-togethers just for the sake of being together. It is the belief that we can create unique and unforgettable moments of impact in everything that we do, combined with an enduring commitment to creating value at the workplace.
I believe that culture will always be a strong component of competitive advantage for us, and I trust that it will also continue to evolve in the future to make way for modern innovation, resilience, and impact.
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