Ryuji Gives Belc's Private-Label Products a "No-Holds-Barred" Verdict in a Special Lecture for Belc Employees

The rules were that each product's developer would give a one-minute presentation, after which Ryuji would taste the product and rate it on a three-level scale from A to C. It was meant to be more than a simple tasting: the goal was to get hints for renewal, so that a product receiving a B or C could learn what it would take to reach an A. Ryuji made many observations not only about how the products taste, but also about whether they would be chosen on the sales floor.

The first thing set out for Ryuji was the Kurashi ni Belc highball. According to the buyer in charge, it is a liqueur rather than whisky, and its selling point is that you can mix it to your preferred strength. The standard ratio is 1 to 5, but heavy drinkers might go about half and half. The rest of the tasting proceeded with Ryuji drinking this highball.

The first item was "Bean Sprouts Take the Lead: Greengrocer's Shrimp Salt Hot Pot Broth." To Ryuji, who describes himself as picky about hot pot, developer Mr. Ito explained that he had envisioned a "ramen hot pot" made with ramen added from the start. The starting point was Ito's own love of shrimp-salt tonkotsu ramen.

After tasting it, Ryuji immediately said, "This is good." He praised it as distinctive while being balanced, neither too strong nor too weak, and explained why by comparing it to the concept behind his own hot pot broth when he released it. What Ryuji aimed for with his own broth was a flavor "you probably wouldn't make at home," and he said this product was the same. Adding a shrimp aroma when making hot pot is difficult at home, and he detected none of the artificial-tasting flavor that seems chemically produced, so he called it a high-quality product.

The verdict was A. Ryuji joked that if it were sold as a product he had supervised, no one would even notice. Ito replied that during development you always wonder "Is this good enough?" and "Will it sell?", so Ryuji's words gave him the confidence to sell it.

Ryuji added, however, that whether it sells is a separate matter. Shrimp-salt tonkotsu is an uncommon flavor, so it needs a reason for people to pick it up. Tasting good and selling well are different things; his assessment was that the product's quality is extremely high, but there is room for improvement in areas such as naming.

The second item was "Terrifyingly Delicious Hamburg Steak" from Mr. Kurihashi, who is in charge of frozen foods. Its full name is "Terrifyingly Delicious Hamburg Steak: Anyone But Me Would've Missed It," and Ryuji laughed that it sounded like one of his own video titles, quipping, "That's straight out of Hunter x Hunter!" It is 100% beef, and you only need to heat it by boiling or in the microwave.

Ryuji said the hamburg steak itself was very tasty, but pointed out that since no sauce is included, it is a product that assumes you will add sauce, and the type that can be transformed depending on the sauce. Asked what might go well with it, he answered something like steak soy sauce, and the staff brought out "Garlic, How About It? Ponzu," also from Kurashi ni Belc. Ryuji said, "This has got to go well with it," and when he actually tried them together he exclaimed, "Tasty."

The improvement Ryuji raised was showing customers how to eat it. Many people probably imagine it will come out coated in sauce once heated, so making clear what to pair it with would be easier for consumers to understand. Since he mostly develops products geared toward convenience stores, he said he felt it needed a sauce suggestion. Specifically, he proposed that it could become a very good product if ponzu or steak soy sauce were placed nearby for cross-selling, or if POP displays or explanations recommending people use their own sauce at home were rolled out to every store. He also praised the price of 359 yen as quite an effort, considering it is 100% beef.

The ponzu paired with the hamburg steak was not among the six products being judged this time, but when the host asked what he would give it, Ryuji rated it as well. The strength he could state with certainty was that the garlic doesn't smell. The garlic comes through at just the right level, making it versatile. He said it is probably best of all with steak, where it becomes a full-fledged steak sauce, and that it can also be used as a yakiniku sauce.

The third item was "Sushi Shop's Ohagi-Style Maguro Taku Nigiri." Its developer, Mr. Kimura, is apparently the very person who requested this lecture. The ohagi in supermarket deli sections are made with sweet bean paste and glutinous rice, but this product was born from the idea that "it'd be fine to have an ohagi that isn't sweet." To differentiate it from ohagi, he explained, they added accents of aroma and texture with green onions and other ingredients and used a generous amount of minced tuna.

Ryuji was impressed by its appearance, confirmed there was fatty tuna inside as well, then tasted it and declared it "delicious." What surprised him most was the price of 299 yen. He explained that supermarket sushi often has large rice portions, and as a drinker he had always wished they were a bit smaller. This product works as a snack with drinks and is also just right when you want a little rice, so the company's efforts come through. He thought wasabi would be good, but it wasn't included in the pack; when he heard that small packets of wasabi are available for customers to take freely at the store, he declared it "perfect" and gave it an A.

Kimura, however, confessed that while it felt odd to say so after being praised, it actually wasn't selling. Ryuji responded that "good products don't necessarily sell," and suggested removing "ohagi" from the name. Ohagi is subtly hard for people today to grasp, and while customers on the sales floor are wondering "What part of this is ohagi?", their eyes move on to the next product. As alternatives, he offered catchy names that make people go "What is this?", such as "Negitoro Bomb Nigiri" or "Reckless Negitoro Nigiri." Customers decide in a few seconds whether to buy, so a cleverer name makes it easier to get them to pick it up once—this is Ryuji's philosophy of copywriting.

The fourth item was "Shrimp Shumai That Takes Center Stage" from Mr. Matsui of the deli department. When people name Chinese main dishes, things like mapo tofu come up, while shumai rarely gets mentioned. The aim was to turn shumai from a supporting player into the star; the shrimp used is whiteleg shrimp, cut so that its texture remains. The product is chilled and pre-seasoned, so it can be eaten as is.

Ryuji said it was the best chilled shumai he had ever eaten. The vegetables are crisp, there is a lot of shrimp, and 299 yen for eight pieces is very cheap. On the other hand, he pointed out that to take center stage it needs a bit more of a plump, snappy texture, and that as it stands it is exactly a supporting player—something you'd be happy to find one or two of in a bento.

As improvements, Ryuji suggested putting in large shrimp even if it raises the unit price, or mixing in coarsely ground meat and adjusting the amount of meat. Shumai with big, chunky fillings are becoming mainstream at restaurants and elsewhere, and that image is strong, so at the current price and with the convenience of two minutes in the microwave, it doesn't go beyond the realm of a deli side dish. The verdict was B. If it weren't tasty it would have been a C, but since it's tasty it got a B—though it isn't the star. He added that its considerable effort on quality comes through.

The fifth item was "Gather Round, Meat Lovers! All-Purpose Spice." Since Ryuji sells his own spice, he couldn't help but give a wry smile. According to the person in charge from the meat department, the product was developed by everyone in the "Meat Research Group," made up mainly of meat department members. It is a seasoning made with a specialty dashi manufacturer, using bonito dashi as its base, with a kick of garlic and a Japanese-style miso-like finish. The price is 399 yen, prompting Ryuji to let slip, "I don't really want to say it, but mine is more expensive."

For the tasting, loin of "Umaibuta," the brand pork Belc is proud of, was prepared. Ryuji first tasted the spice on its own, then sprinkled it on the pork and declared it "insanely good." Ingredients like powdered miso are not something people usually reach for, he said, and it pairs well with pork, elevating the flavor of good pork with the umami and aroma of miso. He said its quality is high enough that it could stand alongside sauce as an option for yakiniku. He also joked about asking for that part to be cut, since pushing it too much would hurt sales of his own spice.

Ryuji further pointed out that although it is billed as a meat spice, it can also be used on fish and vegetables. The package does mention salads, soups and stir-fries, but he suggested that point could be pushed more—advice he described himself as "sending salt to the enemy." The person in charge, receiving the evaluation, said they wanted to reflect his opinions, including for products from other departments, and Ryuji wrapped up by saying, "This one's going to sell."

The sixth and final item was "Yakiniku Tonight, How About It? Medium Hot," a yakiniku sauce from the same "How About It?" series as the garlic ponzu earlier. The person in charge said their hands were shaking, since no C had been given so far and they were bringing out an utterly standard yakiniku sauce at the very end. The product uses plenty of soy sauce and apple, adding the richness of onion and garlic to a gentle umami and sweetness.

Ryuji's first words were, "This is much better than I expected." He described it as orthodox and not too sweet, perhaps better suited for cooking. But while it is well-balanced, to put it kindly, it lacks an edge, to put it unkindly—it's ordinary. Considering the price it might seem good enough, but to compete with other products it needs a bit more of an edge, and as for whether people would go out of their way to buy this one, it falls one step short on appeal.

He then tried another item from the same series, and rated it as having a sharp edge, with garlic strong enough to hit the nose. According to Ryuji, this one shows its power with fatty yakiniku cuts such as pork belly.

Continuing from this, Ryuji emphasized packaging and presentation on the sales floor. With the current products, the packaging alone doesn't make it click what they should be used for; he only understood after tasting them. He said he felt that PB brands in general, not just Belc's, tend to be understated, and that packaging should be given a stronger power to draw people in. With supermarket products, their merits don't come across at all unless people buy and eat them. There are probably many products that taste better than ones Ryuji has supervised; they just haven't been discovered. Appealing with "This product is right here" is what matters, and precisely because many of the products this time were delicious, he urged them to put effort into in-store presentation and promotion.

When it came to the verdict for Yakiniku Tonight, How About It?, Ryuji hesitated, saying "I'm torn," and said there was the perspective of "It's tasty, but I wouldn't buy it," and that it should be able to go a bit further. He also asked about its direction: did they want to topple the "king" of yakiniku sauces, or sell it on its own path? When the person in charge answered "We want to aim for both," Ryuji replied to the effect that it would be better to clarify the direction. The person in charge said they wanted to be sure to earn a high rating next time.

In his overall review, Ryuji first voiced his own reflection. He had never checked out products sold only at Belc, and he felt he shouldn't have underestimated them. What surprised him most was the price; overall, he felt the products were being sold at incredible prices. Looking at all the products, he said, you can see the company's efforts to deliver good-quality products to consumers, and he felt it was a company running a consumer-first business.

Belc mentioned that it has previously collaborated with properties such as Attack on Titan, and then asked about the possibility of a collaboration with Ryuji. Ryuji explained that he is consumer-first, with the stance that what matters is delivering delicious food to customers. If people who actually buy something like Belc and Ryuji's "All-Out Bento," "All-Out Hot Pot" or "All-Out Onigiri" are delighted, saying "As expected of a Belc and Ryuji collab," then everyone is happy. If it can take that kind of form, he answered, he would love to do it.

Finally, asked for a message to the employees, Ryuji said he had been quite moved this time. Having done this work for about eight years, he honestly feels he has done it all, and now wants to do interesting work. With that in mind, he said today was extremely interesting and that Belc's serious commitment to its products came through. He laughed that he never expected it to be almost entirely reviews, and reflected that although it was billed as his lecture, it turned out to be a session where he was the one learning.

What especially struck a chord with him was that the people in charge came forward themselves to give one-minute presentations. Ryuji said he really loves hearing things like "We made it with this in mind, we did it this way, it actually isn't selling very well—what do you think?" and then thinking it through together. Enjoying the process of figuring out how to make consumers happy and creating better products is a genre he particularly loves, and he felt satisfied at having been able to talk things over with the people in charge. The lecture closed with his words: "To sum it up, I've come to love Belc."