The Story Behind Our Product
My background in creating products using aronia stems from my own experiences related to "seeing."
When I was in junior high school, I was studying abroad in New Zealand, and every day after school, I would lie on the trampoline in my host family's yard and gaze at the starry sky. The stars twinkled like jewels, and the Milky Way stretched across the entire sky. I loved the time I spent looking at that sight, and back then, I took it for granted that I could see them.
However, as my living environment changed due to studying for entrance exams and other things, my eyesight gradually deteriorated without me realizing it. When I looked up at the starry sky from a mountain pass in Hokkaido for the first time in a long time, the stars that had once appeared so clearly were now blurry and no longer looked the same as before. It was then that I truly felt for the first time that "being able to see is not something to be taken for granted."
Our lives are becoming increasingly digitized, and smartphones, computers, and tablets have become indispensable in the daily lives of people of all ages. While this has brought convenience, I feel that it has also become increasingly important to be mindful of our physical health, especially our eyes, and to take care of ourselves for the future.
It was during this time that I came across aronia berries grown in Otaki, Date City, Hokkaido. Aronia berries are rich in polyphenols. Knowing the natural power hidden within each tiny berry, I began to wonder, "How can I use this ingredient in a way that benefits the healthy daily lives of people and animals living in the modern world?"
However, the more I learned about aronia, the more another challenge became apparent: despite being such an appealing agricultural product, it is still not well known.
No matter how valuable agricultural products are, if they don't reach the people who need them and aren't used consistently, it becomes difficult to pass on production to the next generation.
Therefore, I felt it was necessary to not simply "procure aronia as a raw material and turn it into a product," but to spread its value itself.
Aronia berries, carefully cultivated in Hokkaido, are transformed into easy-to-use ingredients through appropriate processing.
And then, we create products that are easy for people and pets to incorporate into their daily lives.
We aim to create new value and uses for a single agricultural product, increase its users, generate new demand in the region, and ensure a future where producers can continue cultivating aronia berries. This is the form of regional revitalization that Shizento is striving for.
In Japan, there are agricultural products like aronia that, while not yet widely known, possess immense potential. We re-examine the blessings of nature rooted in each region, protect and cultivate their value, transform them into forms suited to modern life, and pass them on to the next generation. We don't just stop at creating a product; we value creating a long-lasting cycle that connects the local agriculture and producers, and even the people and animals that use the product.
By harnessing the power of nature to support the healthy daily lives of people and animals, we aim to protect Japan's precious agricultural products and the future of local communities. That's what I wanted to start with aronia, and that's the future that Shizento wants to realize.
~My dog taught me how to make gentle supplements~
My experience with a dog I once lived with played a big part in developing this pet supplement.
While he was alive, my dog took supplements to support his health. But the soft capsules seemed hard for him to swallow. He sometimes struggled to get them down, and at times he even spat them out.
Something meant to be good for his body had become a burden. Seeing that, I began to wonder, "Couldn't I make something gentler for pets, something they can keep taking every day without any strain?"
Pets are precious members of the family, just like us. That is why we care not only about the ingredients, but also about how easy the supplement is to eat and to keep giving.
With that in mind, we created two forms: the Granule Type, which mixes easily into regular meals, and the Chewable Type, which can be given as it is.
Owners can choose according to their pet's preferences and eating habits, so the supplement fits naturally into daily life, and giving it never becomes a burden for either the owner or the pet.
I want to carry what my dog taught me into the healthy everyday lives of the dogs and cats living today.
"Because it is good for the body, it should be gentle, easy and something you can keep up."
That is the belief at the heart of how we make Natural Bites Aronia.