日本語
Chef’s Link Co., Ltd., which operates the platform "味道" (Mido), shares the skills and knowledge of top chefs through videos to pass on Japan's proud food culture to the next generation. The company, in collaboration with the All Japan Food Studies Association, aims to build a platform that can solve various challenges faced by chefs.
For startups, finding a development partner who can materialize their vision is not easy. Initially, the company faced issues such as miscommunication with the development company, delayed deadlines, and mismatched requirements, making it difficult to launch the service.
However, after starting a partnership with Solashi, flexible and speedy responses became possible, allowing for smooth development. As a result, user experience improved, and stable service operation was realized. Currently, new feature developments are also progressing smoothly.
This time, we spoke with Mr. Takagi, President and CEO of Chef’s Link Co., Ltd., to learn why they chose Solashi as their development partner after working with multiple development companies and what kind of results they achieved.
Providing a Learning Platform for Chefs Through Videos to Contribute to the Inheritance and Development of Japanese Food Culture
――First, could you tell us more about your business?
Mr. Takagi:
At Chef’s Link, we operate the platform "Mido" in collaboration with the All Japan Food Studies Association, where top chefs share their recipes, expertise, techniques, and philosophies through videos.
The main goal of Mido is to inherit and develop Japanese food culture. Chefs are not only engaged in cooking but also have to manage businesses and other tasks, leading to busy daily lives. Additionally, young chefs spend a lot of time training, making it difficult to systematically acquire extensive knowledge and new techniques.
To address these challenges, we first started by providing a learning platform through videos. By sharing food techniques and philosophies through videos, we aim to support chefs and contribute to the growth of new culinary professionals.
――Why did you choose video media as your format?
Mr. Takagi:
The reason we chose video media is that we saw great value in "preserving techniques for future generations through visual content." The culinary world has many techniques and subtle details that cannot be fully conveyed through text or photos alone. Video is the most suitable medium for accurately and intuitively communicating these nuances.
Moreover, at that time, the market for cooking videos was rapidly expanding. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in learning culinary techniques and industry knowledge online surged. These market changes served as a tailwind for our initiative.
Additionally, instead of using an existing video platform, we chose to build our own media because it allows us to manage and accumulate user data in-house. By doing so, we aim to establish a direct relationship with users and create a foundation for future service expansion and business growth.
Thanks to this approach, many chefs have contributed their recipes, and we now feel that we have created an environment where we can effectively develop our brand as a service.
