In the press release distribution media "PRTIMES STORY", the representative Kodera, who is the brand owner of the water brand "Mizumizu", wrote an article about why he is passionate about the water business, his thoughts and his trajectory so far. I got it.
Mizuno Mizu Co., Ltd. is a “water” start-up company that advocates “redefinition of the value of water that is close to everyday life”. Adding value to Japan's little-known "high-quality natural water", we develop "water" products that match various scenes of life, and spread "water" around the world as the original Japanese brand "Mizuno Mizu". We are developing our business to give "beauty, health and fighting power".
-I can't go back to normal water anymore- My evolved "beauty, health and fighting power"
We have rebranded the natural water from a small-scale water source in Japan, which is in danger of being ruined or taken over, under the brand name of "Mizuno mizu". Focused on businesses with customers who prefer or need "high-quality water," such as luxury restaurants, hotel resorts, spas, saunas, and gyms.
With a unique concept, as a Japanese original water brand, it is full of individuality, such as water for wine chaser / water for delicious food, water for sports / training, after sauna / beauty treatment, or for rapid recovery when feeling unwell. Line up your lineup.
In this story, along with the words of the representative Kodera, we will tell you the behind the scenes of the birth of “Mizumizu” and the thoughts behind the product.
History of our founding as a natural water business
I have been working for a major IT company for more than 10 years since I graduated. Since I was 30 years old, I had been thinking about what to do with my future career. Under such circumstances, a relative and teacher once consulted me about the sluggish management of the company. He owned and operated a natural water sampling site south of Mt. Fuji.
“The water here is good for the body and delicious, and I continue to drink it every day. Strangely, if you drink this water, you won’t be left with alcohol the next day. I want people all over the world to drink this water, but I don't know what to do. Do you have any good ideas?"
A few years later, my uncle passed away in a sudden accident.
What will happen to the water sampling area at the same time as the upset and sadness? Who will take over his will while there is no successor? It crossed my mind. Then, something suddenly drove me to think, "Maybe I'm the one who will inherit the will," and started preparing to start a business.
Even if there is "good quality water", it is not easy to commercialize it
It was a complete turnaround from my previous IT career of “selling natural water,” but of course, it was not easy. First of all, the road to commercializing natural water was more difficult than I had imagined. Selling drinking water is more than just filling bottles. We had to clear a number of national examinations, and we had to find a factory that could pass the rigorous examinations.
Day after day, I call factories all over Japan. Sometimes I jumped in without an appointment. And the days of rejection. A startup that was just starting out and didn't have any funding was nowhere to be dealt with. In the scenario of the autobiography of a charismatic entrepreneur that I have read many times since I was a student, it says that a miracle happened after this despair, but not a single miracle happened.
Half a year after its founding.
The scenario of going out of business without doing anything crossed my mind.
The executives who agreed with the aspirations after the founding and joined us. The friends who supported the entrepreneurship.
Before I knew it, I had lost the face I could meet them, and the smile I could show.
Then, I called a company in Shizuoka, knowing that this would be my last call.
Thanks to the courtesy of the office staff who dealt with us, they agreed that if we could come to the sales office by 18:00 and just look at the showroom. Thinking that this might be our last chance, the executive and the three of us drove off with the feeling of grabbing the last straw.
However, even though the company name is set in the car navigation system and the car is driven according to the directions, there
Mountains with nothing around. The time passed 18 o'clock in the dark night road.
When the navigator told me that I had arrived at my destination, I realized a hopeless truth. The company has two bases, a sales office and a factory, and the navigation guided us to the factory.
I made a stupid mistake.
It was pitch dark. Even though I called the company's office to apologize, it was an answering machine outside business hours.
In the heavy air, time passed in silence with the three of us in the car.
I wonder if it was stopped for about 10 minutes, and then a figure came from the back of the factory.
"What's wrong? Could you please don't park here?"
A man with a flashlight in one hand, a full-body suit, and an aura-like appearance.
Representative Director and President
I understood as soon as we spoke.
Two hours in the dark factory drawing room. I gave a full presentation.
and a month later.
A business partnership has been decided. "Mizuno Mizu" was able to stand on the starting line.
Support from megabanks and over 50 angel investors nationwide
While we found a partner factory and proceeded with product development, we would struggle to raise funds next time.
The cost of product development (R&D), sample production, business trips, etc. before the product is made is large, and the limits of the military funds saved before starting the business are becoming apparent.
Every day I visit the factory many times and search for overwhelmingly differentiated products.
However, on the other hand, I looked for a financial institution that would lend me a loan, but I could not find one. Even if the best product was completed, we fell into a situation where we could not place an order.
and a few months later. The prospect of the funds that finally arrived.
Support from Mizuho Bank, a mega bank, has been decided.
Two months later, we received investment from angel investors through FUNDINNO, a stock investment type crowdfunding company, and after that, we received individual contacts from multiple investors, and we received more than 50 investors in total. With your support, we were able to raise a total of about 20 million yen.
Bringing “good quality” and “delicious” water to the world
"Aren't all waters the same?"
These words have been said by many people before our founding, but through the media and direct sales activities, we have gradually come to realize that "there is a difference in water" and "good water has value." I feel like it's spreading all around.
Among the "Mizumizu" series that we handle, the two main products are rare high-concentration vanadium soft water collected from a deep well in Mt. Fuji. It is a natural water rich in minerals. Although this natural water has one of the highest vanadium contents in Japan, it has been loved by the locals as a natural water with a miraculous composition ratio of low hardness.
The efficacy of vanadium is very wide, and research is still progressing all over the world, such as showing that it can be expected to reduce triglycerides as well as lower blood sugar levels. (Source: Asahi Beverage Co., Ltd. Beverage Research Institute and other reports from several companies).
At the same time, we also launched a product that added special high oxygen to this natural water.
Focusing on Ultra Fine Bubble, which is a condensed version of Japan's highest technology, we succeeded in generating and filling with more difficult oxygen, and achieved an Ultra Fine Bubble rate of 99.8% (approximately 25 billion oxygen) and dissolved oxygen (70 ppm or more at the time of manufacture). made it possible to provide In addition to the effects expected from the minerals in natural water, the effects of high oxygen, which is said to promote the removal of fatigue substances and speed recovery from muscle fatigue and muscle pain, are expected to continue over time (oxygen I hope that it will continue without missing).
For active people who keep moving to the limit, when they wake up in the morning, when they are tired from strenuous exercise, when they want to recover their physical strength as soon as possible, when they have a heavy body and cannot move in the morning after a hangover, but they have to move. , Please drink it habitually as water of fighting power.
*1 It has been shown that taking in high-concentration oxygen promotes the removal of fatigue substances, and early recovery from muscle fatigue and muscle pain can be expected (Source: Kyoto University Graduate School Report: Effects of Hyperbaric Exposure with High Concentration of Oxygen on Recovery of Muscle Stiffness).
lastly
“Redefining the value of water that accompanies us every day”
For example, just as the bubble liquor called "champagne" was born in the region of Chamberline in France, "Mizumizu", which we make, is a "water brand" that handles only high-quality natural water from all regions of Japan. As such, we would like to create a group of products that are preferred in various scenes around the world. This is the vision of our founding members.
Japan has many great natural resources. Among them, the natural water produced by Japan's climate and topography is a valuable resource that we should be proud of around the world, and an asset that we must protect. However, the natural resource of water is limited. Some parts of the world still struggle to get even a glass of water. The water that we, living in Japan, drink casually is very precious in the world.
We will not only protect Japan's natural water and improve brand value, but also realize a sustainable society blessed with water by supporting people around the world who do not have access to water and investing in business with a portion of our sales. I am working to do so. In this industry, economies of scale work remarkably, but in such circumstances, we will make rapid progress as a “water” startup with wisdom, ingenuity, speed of improvement, and high aspirations that large companies cannot.