A trip changed a Nikkei 's life. Sansei Emília Tayra, a 60-year-old former bank employee, discovered new flavors in a sweet with a Japanese touch. Certain that it would also please the taste of São Paulo residents, especially those of Japanese descent, she decided to bring the idea directly from the United States.
How did the idea for ice cream mochi come about?
“On a trip to New York in 2013 I tried some ice cream mochi and was enchanted by the beauty of the colorful spheres filled with ice cream”, says Emília. “Also on this trip, I ate a lot of Häagen-Dazs ice cream, which was cheap compared to prices in Brazil, even paying in dollars.”
A declared fan of ice cream, the businesswoman says she avoided consuming it because of the use of hydrogenated vegetable fat in most of this type of industrialized product. “Ice cream made with fresh cream is much tastier and healthier, but a little more expensive. In Brazil, prices are exaggeratedly high”, he explains.
Visiting other countries can be quite inspiring and for her it was no different. “We want to bring a little bit of what we saw abroad to our country”, he says. And he adds: “I decided to leave retired life aside and roll up my sleeves to face the challenge of putting this idea into practice: making ice cream mochi and producing quality ice cream at a fair price.”
After research on the subject, the recipe was tested for a year until they managed to arrive at the definitive version. Therefore, production and commercialization began in September 2016.
The beginning and growth
Smoti was created little by little and started with small machines and a scale corresponding to production capacity. The space to bring the company to life is “a small house with a good industrial kitchen in Vila da Saúde”.
The partners were chosen based on nothing less than competence and trust. Sansei Diogo Fukuda, Emília's brother-in-law, is an engineer, “has a lot of experience in the food industry and a lot of knowledge of machines and production lines”.
And, to complete the team, Roberto Makoto Shido, son of a Japanese father and Nisei mother, also an engineer, with whose family he is friends through Scouting, “is very hard-working, goes to great lengths to serve our customers”. Currently retired, he was commercial and operations director for a Japanese multinational.
In the beginning, Emília, Diogo and Makoto ran the production with the help of some family members. The first freezers were installed in September 2016 and, during the school holidays, their children provided support.
“In 2018, we moved to a larger and more suitable facility. We renovated and installed a cold room. We hired three employees”, he reports. Diogo returned to work in the food industry, but remains a partner at Smoti. He participated very actively in the installation of the new headquarters, the layout, the operation of the machines and the choice of packaging. Meanwhile, Makoto is responsible for the commercial and administrative side and has contact with customers. Emília is in charge of production and creation of products.
Smoti
“The name Smoti was suggested by an American friend, advertiser and English teacher, who loved the idea of ice cream mochis and made a play on the word mochi and the word smoothie [in English] ”, he reveals.
The Japanese touch came from the experience of tasting sweets and ice cream mochi from Japan. “It brought a lot of Japanese inspiration, but adapted to the Brazilian reality. The packaging there is beautiful!”
Today there are 12 flavors of ice cream in cups, pots and buckets, as well as four flavors of mochi ice cream: matchá, Belgian chocolate, dulce de leche and strawberry. The next step is the launch of “zero added sugar” ice creams.
“We do not add hydrogenated vegetable fat, flavorings or colorings to the ice creams. We use real fruit, Belgian chocolate and top quality Japanese matcha, fresh milk and cream”, says Emília. The idea is to make an ice cream with a lower sugar content, as Easterners prefer a slightly sweet touch – and they are realizing that many São Paulo residents do too.
For now, the sales focus is in the city of São Paulo, “there are still many spaces to be explored”. But they also sell products in Barueri and São Caetano, both close to the capital of São Paulo.
The relationship with the Japanese-Brazilian community and Japanese culture
“We do a big tasting of our ice creams at the Japan Festival [in São Paulo] and we get this feedback through direct contact with the public. We like to see the reaction of surprise and joy when they try our flavors”, says the businesswoman. They also participate in the Kibô-no-Iê Green Festival as volunteers by donating the income raised from the sale of ice cream at the event.
The flavors that are closest to Japanese culture are matcha and ginger. Green tea is the most sold, “it is also being appreciated by Brazilians”. “We are always studying trends for new flavors that can please the Brazilian and Eastern palate.”
Japanese values across generations
Contact with Japanese culture was through parents and grandparents. “We greatly value this cultural heritage, its values such as honesty, work and respect for others”, he says.
These Japanese values are passed on to children mainly by example. “My son and Makoto’s children were scouts at Coopercotia, a club predominantly of Japanese descent, and our friendship began there, during volunteer work efforts.”
And the future of Smoti ?
The children of the trio of partners are attending college and help them occasionally. Emília says that they are free to choose the professional path they wish, the intention is not to impose or ask them for anything.
“Smoti has a very harmonious and familiar environment, everyone participated in its beginnings, and is committed to promoting and strengthening the brand. If some of our children want to take over the company in the future, we would be very happy, as they have the same affection for Smoti as we do”, he confesses.
© 2019 Tatiana Maebuchi
