When the founder took over our company (JYXYER Co., Ltd.) and embarked on the voyage to start developing the Japanese tea brand called ZENJIRO, he was by no means young.
During his decades of work managing funds of Japan and overseas government institutions and prominent foundations, his work was always an encounter with the unknown, so he was exposed to stress, physically and mentally. It was a job never get rid of fatigue.
His interest in health science began when he was appointed Presidential Aide of a group of hospitals with some 8,000 employees. As patients with mild to severe illness flooded in, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, and clerical workers all worked hard under time pressure. It was the same situation in all hospitals and nursing homes under the group. Even people with expertise in medicine and pharmacy seemed to find it difficult to take action to relieve mental and physical fatigue. It’s because They don’t have time. It was an experience that made me keenly aware of how difficult it is for people in positions of responsibility to maintain a work-life balance, not just in the medical industry.
One day, he meets two fateful coincidences. One is green tea leaves picked from high mountain tea plantations. He had an image of a tea plantation spread over a vast, gentle hill, but he was shocked by the deliciousness of sencha picked on the steep slope of a high mountain. That was my encounter with our flagship sencha product. Although the production volume is by no means large, the tea farmers in Takayama, who can produce high-quality tea, carefully nurture it using natural farming methods while preserving the 600-year-old tradition. The other was the relationship between green tea and the history of his ancestors, which he learned for the first time when his parents-in-law passed away. The first generation of the family, who was born in the northeastern part of Lake Biwa, had a close relationship with Imai Sokyu, one of the three historical tea masters. He was a samurai who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
And the descendants for generations served the Tokugawa family’s hereditary daimyo during the Edo period and served as a professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture during the Showa period.
After researching Japanese tea deeply, he decided to spread this nature’s bounty of tea overseas and developed the ZENJIRO brand after the oldest temple in his hometown of Kawasaki, Ozenji.
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There are two things that the founders and we cherish. It is about preserving tradition, emphasizing natural and sustainable quality, and developing products that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways and blend into modern lifestyles.
Japanese tea is an agricultural product, so the quality is proportional to the price. According to our proprietary research, many of the consumers who disliked Japanese tea were those who had never drank tea priced above a certain level. Many inexpensive Japanese tea products are on the market, and they are offered free of charge at restaurants in Japan. However, unfortunately, the quality of tea is only the lowest level. Unlike coffee and black tea, Japanese tea is not supported by immigrants or harsh labor with low wages, but by the labor of farmers who work hard to carry on Japanese traditions even in old age. It is The price will go up if the quality is above a certain level, but if you convert it into the price per cup, it is a price that anyone can easily drink. Also, many Japanese consumers only know how to drink it as common sense in the past, and do not know how to enjoy this luxury product with high potential. Since developing the ZENJIRO brand, we have been developing new ways to drink by changing the conditions every day. There are mountains of failures. Still, sometimes we can develop a drinking recipe that everyone admires.
There are two things that the founders and we cherish. It is about preserving tradition, emphasizing natural and sustainable quality, and developing products that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways and blend into modern lifestyles.
Japanese tea is an agricultural product, so the quality is proportional to the price. According to our proprietary research, many of the consumers who disliked Japanese tea were those who had never drank tea priced above a certain level. Many inexpensive Japanese tea products are on the market, and they are offered free of charge at restaurants in Japan. However, unfortunately, the quality of tea is only the lowest level. Unlike coffee and black tea, Japanese tea is not supported by immigrants or harsh labor with low wages, but by the labor of farmers who work hard to carry on Japanese traditions even in old age. It is The price will go up if the quality is above a certain level, but if you convert it into the price per cup, it is a price that anyone can easily drink. Also, many Japanese consumers only know how to drink it as common sense in the past, and do not know how to enjoy this luxury product with high potential. Since developing the ZENJIRO brand, we have been developing new ways to drink by changing the conditions every day. There are mountains of failures. Still, sometimes we can develop a drinking recipe that everyone admires.
ZENJIRO does not sell cheap and poor-quality tea leaves. Because we believe it is not our business, because many other vendors and distributors are providing such products enough to consumers.
High-quality tea leaves also contain excellent health ingredients that are unique to Japanese tea. In fact, more and more studies are revealing benefits for body and brain health. However, we cannot claim that it is effective for treatment or prevention. This is because it is only possible with pharmaceuticals. For 1200 years, Japanese tea has been considered not only as a luxury item but also as a medicine. Evidence for this has become apparent in recent years. However, unlike pharmaceuticals, Japanese tea is not clinically tested, nor is it prescribed in accordance with usage and dosage. Also, if it is certified as a medicine, there will be a legal paradox that tea farmers must acquire medicine manufacturing business even though they are farmers. If health effects are the main purpose, there are supplements besides medicines. However, there are few people who enjoy taking supplements itself and enjoy life by doing so.
That’s why we use solid evidence based on systematic reviews to explain the health benefits of Japanese tea. Since it is not a medicine, we cannot demonstrate health improvement based on usage and dosage, but if you get into the habit of drinking high-quality Japanese tea, the health benefits of its ingredients will be there.
Through sustainable Japanese tea products with a history of over 600 years, we want to grow into a company that can support a vibrant daily life with good work-life balance, maintaining physical and mental health while having fun according to your lifestyle.
