[Mail-order service begins] Bringing bread from the Nagaoka old folk house bakery "WILLOW HOUSE" to the whole country

Hello! This is Koreeda from The SUZUTIMES!
Today, I would like to summarize the information regarding WILLOW HOUSE, which I introduced on note the other day.

Bread that can only be made here, packed with the delicious flavors of our local Nagaoka

WILLOW HOUSE is located in the "Settaya Area," which is currently attracting a lot of attention from both inside and outside the city.

This "brewing town," situated in a corner of a residential area, is lined with breweries that have continued since the Edo period, and even today, each brewery continues to produce fermented foods such as sake, miso, and soy sauce.

WILLOW HOUSE, located on a small path along the old Mikuni Kaido road that once connected Edo and Nagaoka Castle, is not exactly in an easily accessible location.

The nearest station is Miyauchi Station, next to JR Nagaoka Station. It is about a 10-minute walk from there. You can get there easily by car, but I feel it is an area that tourists or those who don't know Nagaoka well might overlook.

Even so, WILLOW HOUSE was created out of a desire to protect the history of our local Nagaoka and share its charm through an expression that can only be achieved in the Settaya area and the old Aoyagi residence that has watched over this land.

Finally, we are starting online sales

Customers who visit the shop tell us things like, "I finally made it here," or "I don't know when I'll be back (since I'm just stopping by for sightseeing), but I will definitely come again."

Even among the staff, there was a desire to "someday be able to deliver to the whole country...", but since opening in December, we have had many customers visit us, and we haven't been able to get things ready.

After repeated discussions with the shop about "How about this method?" or "What if we do this?", we have finally decided to start sales this May in the form of frozen products!

By freezing the bread as soon as possible after it is baked, we try to lock in the texture and aroma of the bread as much as possible.

However, we don't think of this as just "starting mail-order sales."

WILLOW HOUSE is not just a "shop that sells bread."

The connection with farmers, the way we face the seasons, and the atmosphere flowing through the shop are all elements that I believe make up WILLOW HOUSE.

With the premise of delivering delicious bread, we thought about how much of WILLOW HOUSE people could feel when they received the bread in various places.

There is so much bread I want you to eat.
While talking about "I want to include this too," or "We can't leave this out," there were times when we ended up with a box packed with everything (laughs).

In the end, we adopted a set of standard products as "something that allows you to taste what is unique to WILLOW HOUSE." (The lineup may change in the future!)

We also created "bread cards" to explain them.
We can explain things directly at the shop, but that's not the case with mail order.

We decided to include a bread card exclusively for online orders, so that you can enjoy the bread as much as possible and learn about the story behind it.

WILLOW HOUSE Bread

All WILLOW HOUSE bread is made using homemade natural yeast.

The yeast, cultivated from Nagaoka's fruits, vegetables, and rice, is truly one-of-a-kind.
Since the yeast for some of our breads changes with the seasons, one of the joys is experiencing the subtle differences in flavor throughout the year.

In addition to carefully selected flour, we incorporate Niigata ingredients such as brown rice flour from Niigata-grown Koshihikari rice and amazake, creating bread that highlights the deliciousness, natural sweetness, and umami characteristic of Niigata.

Another key point is that each loaf is baked in a wood-fired oven.
Because it can be baked at a higher temperature than a standard oven, the inside retains just the right amount of moisture while the outside finishes with a crisp texture.

It is scientifically known that the far-infrared rays emitted by the dome-shaped brick structure increase umami components, which enhances the flavor.

…You’re starting to get interested in WILLOW’s bread now, aren’t you? (laughs)

The bread we are delivering this time

So, here are the details. The lineup we are delivering this time is as follows.

These are classic breads that are delicious on their own, allowing you to experience the essence of WILLOW, and are also easy to arrange by spreading jam or sandwiching ingredients.

Regarding shipping, since online sales are running concurrently with our shop operations and this is our first attempt, we have decided to use a "flexible shipping date" system where we ship within a pre-specified period.
The details are as follows.

Product sales will take place on a page within the SUZU365 onlineshop.
Please check there for more detailed information on each product!

Finally

Rather than just 'having you buy bread,' we feel like we are 'having you receive the deliciousness of Nagaoka and the thoughts of WILLOW HOUSE.'

For those who are interested in Niigata/Nagaoka but cannot visit right away,
For those who are curious about WILLOW HOUSE,
For those who have eaten it once and want to gift it to someone,
For bread lovers, for fermented food lovers...

We would be happy if we could deliver it to you along with the atmosphere of Nagaoka.

Look forward to the next post!

Koreeda