Founder of Japanese confectionery chain Chateraise dies at age 90

Hiroshi Saito, the founder of Japanese confectionery giant Chateraise, has died. He was 90.
In a press release shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), the company announced that he had passed away on Aug 10. His cause of death was not revealed, though Japanese media shared that he had died of a heart attack, 8world reported.
The press release stated that a wake and funeral will be held “only for close relatives”, and a memorial service will be arranged at a later date.
Mr Saito’s family declined condolence visits, money offerings and flowers.
It is now well-known for its cheerful, wallet-friendly cakes, cream puffs, pastries and ice cream treats, but Chateraise started as an ice cream manufacturer. After setting up his ice cream production business in 1954, Saito found himself unable to compete with established brands. To stand out, he introduced unusual products like ice cream puffs, which became very popular.
His company currently has over 40 patisserie outlets in Singapore. In Japan, Chateraise (pronounced as “cha-ter-rah-zey”) also operates hotels, golf courses and even wineries (as Saito’s parents were grape farmers).
CNA Lifestyle’s tour of Chateraise’s headquarters in Yamanashi revealed Chateraise’s interesting marketing strategy. Instead of pushing only traditional advertisements, the brand also conducts fan tours, where customers can win free trips to visit Chateraise’s farms and factories in Japan via contests and lucky draws.
Hiroshi Saito told CNA Lifestyle: “Rather than spending our money on advertising, we promote domestic fan tours, to encourage our customers to experience and appreciate the nature within the Yamanashi prefecture, thereby to understand the natural roots of our ingredients.”
In March this year, Chateraise also brought its unmanned patisserie concept to Singapore, where customers can buy its pastries round-the-clock via a 24/7 self-checkout counter at the Bukit Batok store.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
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