[The kindest] A nutritious personalized baby food that helps moms and dads

In my view, the narrow definition of D2C is "a lifestyle brand that uses data to improve value proposition." For example, customer data is used for product development and marketing, and data is used for management activities.

One of the destinations for D2C in the narrow sense is product personalization. We collect qualitative and quantitative data from customers and propose the best products for each customer. When I interviewed with a pilot boat, I think that FABRIC TOKYO, which handles suits, MEDULLA, which is shampoo, and PETOKOTO FOODS, which is pet food, are applicable.

D2C is a lifestyle brand, so naturally "food" is one of those fields. Introducing this time the kindest "Is a lifestyle brand that develops organic baby food, etc., which is a combination of personalization and subscription.

What made you decide to offer the kindest? How does it work? How are you using your data for value propositions? We talked to Mr. Sugioka of MiL Co., Ltd. (Mill, hereinafter "MiL"), which operates the kindest.

Baby food tailored to your child's growth and personality

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the food market in 2020 will be a huge market of 67 trillion yen in Japan and 680 trillion yen in the world. In recent years when DX in all industries is being called for, the wave of EC and digitization is rushing to the food market, and the environmental changes caused by the new coronavirus are accelerating the movement.

Another factor that has affected the food market by the corona wreck is food awareness. Consumers have come to demand safer and more secure food than ever before, and their health consciousness has increased. It can be said that there are signs of change in the Japanese food industry.

Meanwhile, the kindest provided by MiL is a subscription service for personalized baby food (baby food). Pediatricians and registered dietitians calculate back from the data the nutrients needed for the growth of children during the baby food period. Based on the nutrients necessary for growth, we propose baby food that suits each child based on edible ingredients (hardness, size, ingredients, etc.), degree of growth, likes and dislikes, allergies, etc.

The menu includes items such as "bonito simmered in tomatoes," "tuna minestrone," and "tsukune vegetable ankake," which at first glance do not seem like baby food. All menus use organic ingredients, do not use additives such as colorings and preservatives, and use safe and secure ingredients produced by carefully selected contract farmers and factories. It is expected to exceed 150 SKUs by the end of 2020, and product development will involve registered dietitians, pediatricians, and development managers with sommelier experience.

Released in April 2019 (the service name at that time was "Mi +"), and as of August 2020, 300,000 meals have already been sold. The origin of the service name is the intention to be a brand that provides moms and dads with the world's gentlest choices.

Product list of the kindest. As products are being developed one after another, even the president, Mr. Sugioka, says, "I don't know the exact number of types right away."

According to Fuji Keizai, baby food will have a domestic market size of about 27.1 billion yen in 2018 (Fuji Keizai). I think the market is getting smaller due to the declining birthrate, but in reality it is increasing slightly year by year. The first reason for this is the prolonged age at which baby food is given. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the time to finish baby food was about 12 months in 2005, but it has increased to 13 to 15 months in 2015. Of course, the growing need for shorter working hours for childcare due to double-income work is also one of the factors for expanding the market.

In the first place, about 70% of baby food is handmade, and about 30% of baby food is purchased. Under such circumstances, the trend to lead a stress-free mom and dad life is accelerating. Therefore, there is an increasing need for baby food that shortens the working hours, and for safe and secure ingredients. (Mr. Sugioka, the same applies below)

At the kindest, we offer a trial set of 3 meals to users who try it for the first time. Have them experience things like "it tastes so much with just the ingredients" and "you will receive this kind of baby food after this", and if you like it, you will move to a subscription. As mentioned above, the baby food delivered by subscription is not uniform, and personalized products are delivered.

Various factors affect personalization. Children's age, allergies, likes and dislikes, tooth growth, etc., which require different nutrients. We will hear these from moms and dads on LINE in advance, and propose baby food that matches each child from the kindest.

(Courtesy: MiL)

LINE not only collects information from MiL, but also functions as a place for consultation. For example, if there is a post from mom and dad saying "I'm 6 months old now, but I'm worried if I can eat it because my teeth grow slowly" and "I put it out, what should I do?" It is provided by MiL.

Not only children but also parents have the factors to decide which menu is good. As mentioned earlier, the need for shorter-time menus is increasing, but it is said that feeding children to eat menus that are simply taken out of the bag is still guilty for some people, even if there is virtually no nutritional problem. For such moms and dads, they sometimes send menus that require a lot of work. If just warming up your meal will reduce your guilt, it's a good thing.

In addition, LINE communication with users is also used for feedback to the menu. It is said that once it is made, it is not the end, but improvements are being made based on feedback. Also, in the box where the kindest is sent every month, a recipe book of "book level for sale" (Mr. Sugioka) is also included, and it is a content that is completely exhausted for moms and dads. ..

Pay attention to nutrition and no additives. With a large number of products and many improvements, it will be difficult just to find a factory that will make it. In that respect, MiL seems to have searched for a factory with the cooperation of Oisix La Daichi Co., Ltd., which operates the Future Food Fund, which is a shareholder.

Mr. Sugioka got involved in the baby food field because his wife, Chigusa, who is the co-founder of MiL, said, "If parents are for their own children, they can even change their lifestyle. I have it. "

People can't stand pork cutlet and sukiyaki, but for children they suddenly start looking at the nutrients on the back of the food. Many people find that it is an opportunity to reconsider their lifestyle. There are scenes in life that positively change your lifestyle without having to spend marketing costs. How beautiful it was was the key to working on the kindest.

However, if you want to be close to your child's diet, you can use a complete nutritional diet, for example. Why did you decide to serve a personalized dish? There seem to be several reasons, but here I would like to focus on the "taste" of children.

Children's taste is said to develop by about 3 years old. It is said that feeling a lot of bitterness, saltiness, sweetness, etc. by then affects the perception of various tastes in adulthood. In other words, if you do not experience various tastes by the age of three, you will become an adult who "does not understand the taste". Increasing the number of such adults will taper off the food industry. It is probably because Mr. Sugioka, who develops the restaurant "Yamato Azabu" with the kindest, has such a sense of crisis.

I think that promoting food education will have a big impact on the food industry. Therefore, I want infants to eat a variety of foods, not just nutritional supplements. That's why the kindest makes a variety of recipes like meal kits.

Mr. Sugioka and Mr. Chigusa, co-founder.

Improve products from customer data

By the way, there was talk of interacting with users on LINE, but what I'm curious about when I hear D2C is how to use data. There are various ways to collect data, such as those provided by users in questionnaires, those that automatically collect behavior data, and those that capture implications from interactions with users, but what kind of data is the kindest? How do you collect it and utilize it for value propositions such as product development and marketing?

First of all, about the information to be acquired. In this regard, according to Mr. Sugioka, in addition to general information such as behavior data and purchasing data, in addition to frequently seen media, media and magazines, annual income is also collected. As a whole, in addition to the issues related to baby food, it seems that they are collecting problems related to childcare in general. In addition to questionnaires, we analyze user data by analyzing LINE interactions that about 90% of customers register.

Naturally, information such as media that users often see is utilized in marketing activities. And the interesting way to use data is product development. From questionnaires and LINE exchanges, it is said that there are cases where it can be understood that "this child's eating habits and eating habits do not seem to be sufficient for vitamin D and iron." In such cases, he proposes products that supplement the nutrients that are lacking.

Although the kindest is a fabless manufacturer, it does not throw product development to OEM companies as mentioned above, but takes charge of it in-house. All products are prototyped at the restaurant, the factory also visits the restaurant, and the chef of the kindest goes to the factory to exchange opinions. Of course, the equipment and conditions differ depending on the factory, so it includes whether or not it can be made with factory equipment. We will add more data such as user feedback to this perfect development system.

A mechanism like the kindest where good and bad voices come in rather than a mechanism where existing manufacturers leave product development to OEM companies or customer information comes in only through retail stores. But it's compelling to be able to make what customers need.

Of course, even existing manufacturers are collecting customer feedback by conducting user interviews and using digital technology. However, in general, a startup, an organization that is light and has no fences or organizational conflicts, will be faster than a large company.

As we face users while collecting data, information that is different from what we expected comes in. For example, moms and dads' interest in nutrition and literacy were often higher than expected. This discovery is a hint for product improvement.

In general products, although proteins and lipids are described, for example, iron is not displayed. However, moms and dads in the world know that it is better to take iron, and they want their children to take iron. Taking this as the "gap between user needs and the products offered," the kindest products decided to describe the nutritional components in detail.

The kindest is also trying to use the data for more than just products and marketing. That is, the community.

This isn't limited to food, but brands aren't limited to delivering products to their customers these days. The community around the product, new learning, sophisticated new choices, and other experiences around the product are also becoming a set.

In this area, it is an area where data-based improvement is good, such as web services. So I think the kindest should be aware of such movements.

From baby food to infant food. The aim is to visualize the lifestyle of children

MiL plans to gradually expand its territory from baby food in the future. Most recently, we released kids food. The aim is to have the kindest diet continue as the child grows and changes from an infant to an infant. By the way, compared to baby food, infant food has a harder texture and is closer to adult food, and the required amount of ingredients and nutrients also changes. Naturally, the amount of food you eat is also different. As the number of variables increases, personalization using the above-mentioned data will be more useful to customers.

When considering the medium-term outlook, Mr. Sugioka says he is conscious of "data visualization." MiL's next challenge is a service that visualizes "what kind of food you are eating".

It has not yet been visualized how much vitamins and iron are lacking in a child's diet and what the consequences are. No matter how good our food is without visualization, no matter how much we appeal, people in the world cannot manage it. That's why I think "visualization of meals" is important.

When personal data is added to that, it becomes possible to understand that "there is not enough iron than other people" and "this is already enough", and "it's amazing. Mom is doing her best." You will be able to return feedback such as "ne". From there, I would like to bring it to a place where it firmly supports a well-being lifestyle.

In the long run, I will also focus on "research" for children. According to Mr. Sugioka, "For example, even if you try to study intestinal bacteria in children, the research will not proceed because there are few samples in the first place." In the future, he hopes to contribute to "satisfactory child-rearing" by studying vitals, the correlation between diet and allergies, and the speed of diet and growth.

MiL is trying to challenge not only food but also healthcare. With that in mind, in the future, the business may spread to areas such as insurance and education. There is a possibility that you can visualize your lifestyle by age, gender, medical history, etc., linked to your child's ID. I don't think anyone will do it because it is a time-consuming area, but MiL wants to take on relevant data and challenge that area.

[Postscript]

Personalization is useful in areas where there are many variables and it is difficult to select, such as clothing sizes that do not fit, and there are many products that you do not know which one is best for you. Infant food also has various variables such as nutrition, tooth growth and allergies. Moreover, modern dads and moms are running out of time and mental leeway to deal with it.

At such times, the kindest will suggest the best meal for your child. We are particular about the ingredients and taste, and it should be a great help for childcare.

In the present age when words such as "living without life" and "well-being" have appeared, more and more people will want to review their own meals and their families' meals. The future food and healthcare that MiL sees may help such people.

[Questions and answers]

Here are some episodes that could not be published in the text.

─ If you ask for your impression of the meal, adults will say "it's delicious" and "it's hard", but infants will not. How do you perceive this issue in improving the menu?

Sugioka:
It is important that your parents are satisfied. First of all, as a parent, I think the first thing to worry about is whether or not your child will eat it. However, the kindest thinks that nutrition is also important for children's diet, so even if you don't eat it once, I would like you to try it twice or three times.

What adults want to eat now is different from what they want to eat tomorrow. The reason why children don't eat is not always the menu, so I would like them to try repeatedly to provide nutrition.

─Since babies and pets cannot express their opinions, it is thought that technologies such as IoT often come into play. Do you have any thoughts in terms of collecting data for your child?

Sugioka:
For example, moms and dads often feed their babies on Instagram. The act of taking a picture of a meal is becoming more common. If you can analyze the images of those photos and analyze what kind of ingredients you are eating, you may be able to log your lifestyle.

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