"Bringing the best of Japan to the world"
At an event held at the official residence of the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles, Miki Alyssa, founder and CEO of Cashi Cake Inc., set up a booth selling candies made from seaweed and gave a presentation on the product. I was attracted not only by the gorgeous, jewel-like appearance of the product, but also by Miki herself, who explained in clear English about the healthy sweets, saying that they are vegan, gluten-free, and additive-free.
About a month later, we were able to interview her online. We asked her why she decided to work on such a product and what kind of background she has before that.
"I was born in New York and grew up commuting back and forth between Japan and New York until I was nine, when the September 11 attacks occurred. However, the attacks prompted me to completely withdraw from the United States and I started living in Yokohama. However, I experienced an identity crisis there. I couldn't adapt to Japan well, and at the same time, I began to wonder what it meant to be Japanese. The event hall at Takashimaya department store near Yokohama Station became like a third place for me (after home and school). There I was able to see up close the craftsmen at work, busy making Japanese products. The more I visited there, the more I was fascinated by the craftsmen's work, and I began to have a vague idea that I wanted to spread the quality products of Japan to the world."
In order to realize her dream of "bringing the best of Japan to the world," Alyssa started taking action during her university days. "I branded the work of a florist, and that flower brand was ranked number one on Rakuten." After making a name for herself as the initiator of that brand, she graduated from university and got a job at Nestle Japan.
His goal was to gain experience in a company by taking advantage of the unique Japanese system for new graduates. After that, he became the person in charge of launching a fruit liquor brand at a Japanese sake venture company. After that, he worked as the person in charge of new business development at a specialized trading company in Israel, and finally, at the age of 27, he decided to move to the United States.
Traveling to the US with two suitcases
"My goal has always been to bring the best of Japan to the world. So when I thought about where to enter first, I decided to go to a big market. I took inspiration from the Israeli method. Israel is a small country, ranking 27th in GDP, but the fundraising power of startups is remarkable, because they are targeting a vast market. I decided to follow the (Israeli) Jewish method and take on the challenge of the vast market of America.
Our company's products are Japanese sweets made from seaweed, and after test selling them in Australia and seeing positive results, I came to America alone with just two suitcases. I packed one suitcase with my clothes and other personal belongings, and the other with tools for making Japanese sweets. I considered San Francisco and New York as cities to base myself in, but I chose Los Angeles because the food-related startup environment is thriving there, and the city's diversity was appealing."
Four and a half years later, the company now has a factory in Los Angeles with 50 employees. Moreover, as a result of focusing on social media marketing, the company has 1.4 million followers on TikTok and has been viewed 650 million times. After seeing the TikTok video, influencer Kim Kardashian approached them about a collaboration. They produced Japanese sweets to match the eight scents of her fragrance brand, and Kim explained the sweets on social media, which led to a huge increase in awareness of the brand " MISAKY.TOKYO ."
Godzilla fights for the happiness of everyone on Earth
It's amazing that he moved to the United States on his own and has been able to grow his business to this extent, but how has he established his footing over the past four and a half years?
"At first, I did cold calling. Also, when I first opened a shop at the Torrance Farmers Market, I became friends with a vendor there and asked him to write a letter of recommendation for my company. I looked at my employees on LinkedIn and reached out to them one by one. The breakthrough came when we were able to bring in someone with experience in the industry as our CIO (Chief Innovation Officer). Having him join the company was a game changer.
Also, Asian companies often target only Asian customers, but although we are still a small company, 40% of our customers are white, and I think one of our strengths is that we do not limit our customer base."
Next, I asked them about past failures.
"I'm still fighting, but to be honest, as an Asian woman who is a minority in the food industry, I often experience discriminatory treatment. Our company is not headquartered in Japan, and as far as I know, there are only two Japanese people, including me, who run a food industry startup. We also had 30% of our products stolen when we sent them by mail, and we've had people say that our sweets that look like crystals are rip-offs. Still, I'm prepared for the struggle to continue, and I have employees that I need to protect, so I'll do my best."
Finally, I asked Alyssa, who was born in America, raised in Japan, and is now once again taking on challenges in the United States, "How national are you?" Her answer was as follows:
"An alien, I guess (laughs). Rather than being someone for Japan or America, I believe I am working hard to make everyone happy, especially the Earth we live on. But actually, my employees call me 'Godzilla' (laughs)."
Alyssa exudes such powerful energy that even Godzilla might surrender. As a fellow Japanese woman, I'm very proud of her.
© 2024 Keiko Fukuda
