[Setana Town] "A Delicious Dining Table" from Setana Town

Located in Setana Town, on the westernmost tip of mainland Hokkaido, "Sakkum Setanai" is a shop and workshop with a stunning view overlooking the Sea of Japan. It is run by a married couple, Kodai and Yurina Takahashi, who moved back to the town. They produce and sell processed meat products and Western-style confectionery. Since its grand opening in April 2024, Kodai has been in charge of meat processing (charcuterie), such as dry sausages and prosciutto, while Yurina handles the production of Western-style sweets (patisserie), selling products that use carefully selected local ingredients. (*Online shopping is available.)
Although it has only been open for a short time, it is already highly popular, loved by local residents, visited by people from outside the prefecture specifically for their products, and featured in the media.

The fusion of "Sakkum" and modern food culture: Creating a new food culture in Hokkaido

While training at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France, Kodai was captivated by locally rooted meat products like prosciutto and dry sausages. After returning to Japan, he worked at a French restaurant in Hokkaido and then launched a shop with colleagues in Kyoto, where they earned a Michelin star within a year. Despite these achievements, he moved back to his hometown to fulfill his long-held dream of "making processed meat products in Hokkaido."
When starting the shop, he didn't want to just copy European styles. Instead, he wanted to take "Sakkum" (dried meat), an Ainu food culture from which the shop's name is derived, and use the meat processing techniques and knowledge he had acquired to adapt it to modern food culture and tastes. He hopes to evolve it into a new "Sakkum" and "establish it as a new food culture in Hokkaido, just like wine and cheese."

"Total food coordination" and product creation that utilizes the local climate

At "Sakkum Setanai," they sell a unique set of meat and sweets. They explained that this is their way of providing a "total coordination" from main course to dessert, delivering a "delicious dining table," and that this is the shop's greatest strength.
They also value local stories and are committed to creating products that take advantage of the local climate.
In meat processing, the town is known as the "Town of Wind," being the first in Japan to install offshore wind power. They use that sea breeze during the aging and drying process to bring out a mineral quality. They also sell products that can only be made in this location, such as sausages mixed with Hokkaido cheese or peanuts produced by local farmers.
As for the Western-style sweets handled by his wife, Yurina, products using the local specialty "Shio Tomato" (tomatoes grown using deep-sea water with a sugar content of over 8%) are popular, playing a role in promoting the appeal of local specialties. They also take a community-based approach, such as taking over some of the products from a closed local confectionery shop and adding their own arrangements, which has earned them the love of local residents.

Attracting people to the region through product promotion

The Futooro district where the shop is located was once a vibrant area developed as a vacation home site, but the population is now declining. Drawing on their experience living in various places overseas and elsewhere, the Takahashi couple believes that "if people knew about the wonderful scenery here, they would definitely come." They shared their feelings for the region, saying, "We hope our products will help people learn about the area and become a catalyst for attracting visitors."
We look forward to the future success of the couple as they work hard on product creation while valuing the local network, including local producers.

This article is current as of the publication of "Tsukuru" Issue No. 29 (March 2025).