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Masayuki Kinoshita was supposed to inherit his family's freezer equipment business that had been running since his grandfather's generation. However, in his 30s, he left the family business with a desire to "be involved in work that contributes to people's happiness" and founded Daybreak, a rapid freezing machine manufacturer that updated his family trade. By combining proprietary freezing technology with IT to develop innovative products, he has brought fresh perspectives to the industry and climbed to the top of the sector in just 13 years. We explore the unwavering conviction of this entrepreneur who is committed to "delivering delicious food in its delicious state" while tackling the social issue of food waste.
Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your background?
My name is Masayuki Kinoshita. If you search my name, you might find information about my universities and education, but I don't really have a special background.
My family has been in the freezer equipment business for about 80 years, starting with my grandfather. As the expected third-generation successor, I worked in the family business as a managing director for about 15 years. Whilst I was managing Director I increased the number of employees and grew the company about tenfold.
However, while continuing this work, I faced two challenges. One was the growth limitations of the equipment business model. The other was that I felt there wasn't much social recognition or respect for behind-the-scenes work like air conditioning pipe installation and maintenance.
Around my 30s, I started thinking about wanting to do work that could more directly contribute to people's happiness. I even considered managing wedding venues at one point (laughs).
The turning point came when I was 31 or 32. I traveled to Thailand with a friend who had been successful in IT. I was shocked by the deliciousness of mangosteen from a local food stall—something I had never experienced before. However, due to quarantine and freshness issues, it was impossible to enjoy the same quality in Japan.
In Thailand, I also heard that many fruits, including mangosteens, were being discarded, which gave me a strong awareness of this issue. This is what we now call the food waste problem. I thought that if this situation could be improved, not only would waste be reduced, but producers could also receive financial returns.
That's when I came up with the idea of combining my family's freezing technology with IT to create a new business. I felt there was potential to innovate the industry by combining special rapid freezing technology with IT, rather than using conventional freezing methods.
This became the catalyst for launching Daybreak, and for the past 13 years, we've been pioneering new markets. That's my background up to the present.
When you left your family-run company, was there opposition from your family?
There was fierce opposition from my father. We argued so much that I thought we might never speak again. In the end, it really became like a falling out.
But I think my father was just worried about me.
Now, my father has developed respect for what I'm doing. He never thought I could make such an impact in the freezing industry. He really appreciates that I've become a freezer machine manufacturer creating new products. We get along very well now.
Could you tell us about your company?
I initially started as a distributor for rapid freezing machine manufacturers. At that time, there were hardly any sites or opportunities for buyers to flexibly compare products from different manufacturers. So I launched an owned media called "Spring Summer Autumn Freeze" (a wordplay in Japanese). This service provided neutral comparison and consulting for freezer products from various manufacturers. It was like a "Kakaku.com" for freezing machines. (*Kakaku.com is Japan's largest product price comparison site)
Around our eighth year in business, I began to sense stagnation in the technological innovation of various manufacturers. With my experience as a freezing technician, I was confident that I could create better products than what was available on the market. I also saw new needs emerging from the food industry.
So three years ago, we developed our own product called the "Art Lock Freezer." Its distinctive feature is the concept of being "a freezer that enables anyone to achieve high-quality freezing, a freezer that educates." It utilizes AI to support optimal usage methods. For example, it incorporates a signal system that glows blue during appropriate use and changes to yellow or red when being used incorrectly.
We plan to announce new features such as food-specific modes by 2025.
Our business model has three pillars:
Technologically, we use an air freezing method (air blast). This is a versatile method that can freeze not only meat and fish but also hot foods like fried chicken and tempura. We've particularly focused on air quality, developing technology that minimizes damage to food. For example, with sushi, strong air would harden the rice, so we've devised methods to adjust cooling approaches for different foods, such as using gentle air to cool everything evenly.
Beyond air control technology, we're achieving higher quality freezing by being meticulous about hardware details as well.
You also seem particular about design.
We're developing our products in collaboration with the automotive design industry, without being constrained by the conventions of the freezer industry. In the traditional food industry, the very idea of making machines black was unheard of. But many customers decide to purchase our "Art Lock Freezer" because they're attracted to its cool design.
When you observe the workplace, you can see that the people using it have higher motivation. They take better care of the machine because it looks cool. That's the concept we value.
Of course, competitors can imitate certain aspects, but what's important is to continue creating value that can't be imitated. We've already become the industry leader in terms of track record and customer base, so I believe we've secured our advantage as a first mover.
Could you tell us about the price range of the Art Lock Freezer and your main customer base?
The smallest type starts from around 4-5 million yen. Larger models can cost up to hundreds of millions of yen. The price varies according to the freezing capacity. The size and price of the machine change depending on how many tons you want to produce per hour or how much freezing capacity you're aiming for per day.
Our customer base is truly diverse. It ranges from restaurants to food manufacturers, seafood processors, livestock processors, deli processors, and more. Giant confectionery manufacturers sometimes introduce large-scale equipment exceeding 100 million yen per unit. Recently, the applications have expanded further, with hotels without artisans and nursing care facilities also adopting our technology. There's a strengthening trend of using frozen foods as a countermeasure to labor shortages.
Could you tell us about your know-how for creating high-quality frozen food?
We've established know-how that we call "The Five Mindset Reforms." Beyond optimal freezing methods, we've thoroughly accumulated expertise on pre-freezing processes, post-process storage methods, and thawing methods. We've also organized study programs to teach these to our users.
When I speak about these insights at presentations, they're quickly imitated by other companies. This actually happens. However, our strength lies in having a lab team. Our team of specialists, including chefs and nutritionists, provides support tailored to our customers' needs.
It's not just about selling machines; what happens after the purchase is important. When customers freeze their food products with high quality and increase their sales channels, it generates demand for new machines. This cycle forms the core of our business model.
We work together with customers to address their challenges such as labor shortages, food waste, and low profitability. As a result, our customers' businesses grow, and we grow too. We create such a virtuous cycle. We gain opportunities to sell our customers' food products, which leads to further demand for machines. This is how the reputation of Art Lock spreads. We've established such a powerful business model.
That's a unique approach for your company.
As a manufacturer, we value the concept of growing together with our customers, rather than just selling in volume and being done with it. Specifically, we sell our specially frozen fruits and support the sales of our customers' products.
We particularly focus on creating a community among our customers. This industry is niche, and there aren't many opportunities to exchange information about how others are using the machines. So we've established venues for information exchange and study sessions. What started with a few dozen members has now grown into a large community with over 200 participants. People from various industries gather, including fishmongers, butchers, and deli owners.
Everyone seems highly motivated to learn.
That's right. We consider it important to raise the literacy of the entire industry. For example, we share know-how on freshness management and successful case studies for increasing sales. We also compile and present our own experiences and learnings.
What's interesting is that matchmaking between customers has also emerged. For instance, a rice producer and a fish supplier might connect to create new collaborative products. It's because of these initiatives that customers appreciate the value of "purchasing from Daybreak." We're providing value that goes beyond just selling machines.
Could you share your vision for the future?
Our aim is to become a cold chain platform provider for high-quality frozen foods. Currently, there are general frozen logistics networks, but there's no system specifically for high-quality frozen foods.
For example, when delivering sushi, if it thaws during transport, the quality changes. This seems simple at first glance but is actually a very difficult challenge. That's why we need to build an ecosystem with container companies and packaging manufacturers, and also lecture end-demand companies on proper thawing methods. We want to expand this cold chain not only domestically but globally. Beyond that, we aim to become "a Japanese company that can win globally."
What we value is "Creative Shared Value Creation," meaning the co-creation of social and economic value. Rather than simply finding and solving social issues, we naturally solve social problems through our business. For instance, by introducing our machines, issues like food waste reduction and job creation are solved.
Actually, my mother's family are rice farmers. However, my cousin didn't take over the farm. Why? For economic reasons—they couldn't get proper compensation. It couldn't sustain itself as a continuous business.
That's why I want to create a society where producers receive appropriate value for what they've properly made. I want to reassess the value of food. I'm developing the business with such thoughts in mind. As a result, I hope that 100 years from now, the foods we take for granted today will still exist. I want to create such a future.
How has the support from Tokyo, including TiB, been?
We've received support in various aspects. Particularly, exhibition opportunities at places like TiB (TOKYO INNOVATION BASE) are important occasions that generate new business connections. The business support is really significant; I have the impression that we're receiving many pieces that help our company grow.
How do you feel about the entrepreneurial environment in Japan?
Being Japanese, I do feel that Japan is easy to start a business in, but I also see challenges. Compared to overseas, the scale of venture investment is small, and until recently, corporate evaluation for social issues like SDGs was also low. For example, 10 years ago, or even more specifically, until 2-3 years ago, investors didn't emphasize the SDGs perspective. While there's high interest in social issues like climate change overseas, Japan was behind in this aspect. Our business is closely related to sustainability, so we struggled in that area.
What do you value as an entrepreneur?
I believe it's important to maintain a strong conviction in your business model. It's not just about finding a problem and monetizing it, but about challenging new fields where people say "such a business is impossible." You need the mental strength to bounce back from such negation.
When I started the business 13 years ago, many people were dismissive. But rather than doing an existing business that anyone can do, I believe in finding a niche but truly valuable business and dedicating your life to it. Without such conviction and excitement, I think starting a business just for money will fail.
I've experienced the brink of bankruptcy 2-3 times, and the most difficult period was when I was constantly told there was no market. We started in a small space, which is now a showroom, but back then it was really a tiny space to begin with.
When becoming a manufacturer, the transition from being a distributor to a manufacturer meant changing relationships with existing manufacturers, which was a big decision. As the number of employees increases, it becomes difficult to share what we aim for.
Also, expanding overseas is definitely a major challenge for Japanese companies. The reality is that many Japanese companies have not succeeded globally. Looking at this situation, I keenly feel the differences in culture and customs. However, if you don't keep challenging new things, you'll just become a company that sells products. That's not the direction we aim for.
What's important, I think, is not to lose the sense of excitement. To maintain your vision and communicate it internally and externally. Without a vision, there's no place to recover when you fail. That's why I hope more entrepreneurs with strong convictions will emerge.
Please add "I will become the Freezing King" at the end (laughs).
What was impressive throughout the interview was Kinoshita's sincere attitude toward food. His strong sense of mission to enhance the value for everyone involved in food, from producers to consumers, rather than just being a machine manufacturer, was palpable. Particularly striking was the story about his mother's family being rice farmers. It's clear that the experience of "not being able to receive proper compensation, making it unsustainable as a continuous business" has deeply influenced his current business. Technological innovation, design, customer support, community building—everything is integrated toward the single goal of "creating a society where the value of food is properly evaluated." I was excited by Kinoshita's challenge, which envisions the food culture 100 years from now.
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