Founded in 1954, Monteur is a Western confectionery manufacturer that manufactures and sells chilled desserts. Many of you may have heard the name at least once.

There are three manufacturing Factory in Japan, one of which is the Minokamo Factoryintroduced here. The Minokamo factory is the only one that offers factory tours! Monteur Minokamo factory also has a direct sales store where you can purchase almost all of the products of the Monteur Group.

This time, while reporting on the factory tour, I would like to introduce you to the secret behind Monteur 's deliciousness.

What is Monteur?

First of all, let me introduce you to Monteur.

Suzuki Seika, the predecessor of Monteur, was founded in 1954 in Adachi Ward, Tokyo. When it was first founded, it was a small confectionery factory that mainly produced Kintaro candy and manju (sweet buns).

No. 1 chilled sur cream puffs in sales for 17 consecutive years

Later, in 1975, the company changed its name to Monteur and shifted its focus to Western-style confectionery. The company started manufacturing Western-style confectioneries after the previous generation was impressed by the delicious baumkuchen that was given as a wedding gift.

The company has created a number of hit products, such as "Petit Puffs Made with Fresh Cream" and "Milk and Egg Cream Puffs," and currently delivers more than 300 million servings of chilled desserts throughout Japan each year.

Let's go on a factory tour!

Production bases in the Chubu, Koshinetsu, and Hokuriku areas
"Monteur Minokamo Factory"

Monteur Minokamo Factory

This time we visited Monteur Minokamo Plant, which opened in 2007. It is the production base for the Chubu, Koshinetsu, and Hokuriku areas.

Why was Minokamo chosen as the base? The reason for this is the "factory directly connected to the production area", which is close to the raw material production area. Gifu prefecture has abundant water sources and is also a production area of delicious milk and eggs.

Freshness is essential for chilled desserts! This location was chosen because of our desire to use the freshest ingredients and deliver the freshest taste.

The location is about 5 minutes by car from Minokamo IC. In the case of train, it is about 10 minutes by car from JR Takayama Main Line "Mino Ota" station.

Monteur The character "Cream Puff," from the "Cream Puff" brand, was there to greet us! He is popular as a photo spot.

Looking at the foot of the building, you will see another cream puff! This is a Mino-yaki  custom-made tile.

First of all, reception at the direct sales store

The first place you enter is the direct sales store. You can register for the factory tour here. (Registration opens 10 minutes before the tour time.)

<Reservation Method>
Reservations by phone
*There is a limit to the number of visitors, so please refrain from adding people after making a reservation.
Please make a reservation at least one day in advance for individual visitors. Reservations are accepted from the first day two months prior to the desired date of visit.
Group visitors should make reservations at least one week in advance.

<Tour time>
Weekdays: ①10:30-11:00 ②14:00-14:30 (Group Tour 14:30-15:00)
Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays: ①10:30-11:00 ②11:00-11:30 ③14:00-14:30 ④14:30-15:00 (Group Tour 14:30-15:00)
(Time required: about 30 minutes)

*Some days may not be available due to factory conditions.

*From Wednesday, February 26, 2020 for the time being to prevent the spread of COVID-19,we are sorry to inform you that the factory tour will be cancelled. If you are interested in a factory tour, please visit the following websitePlease confirm when it will reopen. The direct sales store will remain open.
https://www.monteur.co.jp/contactus/2335

After completing the reception, it's time to start the factory tour!

Change into slippers. Cream Puff-kun is here too! (You cannot wear slippers barefoot, so please be careful in the summer.)

*Photography is normally prohibited inside the factory from here onwards (photography is allowed only at photo spots)

The concept is
"Delicious, gentle, and fun"

First, the guide introduced us to the concept and history of Monteur.

While observing the manufacturing process, you can learn about Monteur 's three commitments: "Delicious, gentle, and fun."

This tour brochure will be handed out during the tour. If you collect keywords while answering the quiz, you can get an original sticker.

Commitment ① "Delicious" Local fresh ingredients and special production methods

The first commitment is local fresh ingredients and special manufacturing methods.

Monteur The "copper kettle cooked custard" is used in most of the sweets of Cream puffs and eclairs are all about the deliciousness of the cream inside!

By cooking it little by little in a small-capacity copper pot, it achieves a taste that brings out the deliciousness of the ingredients and a fine, smooth texture that melts in your mouth.

Milk plant (not available to see during the factory tour)

And what's more, the Monteur factory even makes its own milk. It is very rare for a sweets factory to make its own milk.

Generally, "ultra high temperature sterilization method (2 seconds at 130 degrees)" is used, but at Monteur, we sterilize raw milk using "low temperature sterilization method (30 minutes at 65 degrees)." This results in smooth and delicious milk that brings out the natural flavor of milk. You can see how much Monteur is particular about the materials used.

Roll cake is Monteur 's popular product.

In fact, each one is hand-rolled by hand! The proof is that the dough is so fluffy that it cannot be rolled by a machine. Unfortunately, we were not able to observe this day, but if your timing is right, you can see the hand-rolling process in action.

Let's take a tour of the actual factory. At the time of the interview, cream puffs and eclairs were being manufactured.

The "copper kettle-cooked custard" introduced earlier will be added to the puff pastry dough.

The finished products are inspected and then moved to the packaging process, and it is surprising to learn that as many as 900,000 servings are produced daily at the three factories!

Commitment 2: "Gentle" Hygiene management for safety and security

Monteur 's commitment goes beyond just deliciousness.

The clean room in the factory is almost sterile! They set a voluntary standard of "less than 300 bacteria," which far exceeds the legal requirement of "less than 100,000 general bacteria". The standard is about 300 times stricter!

The "HEPA filter" installed on the ceiling of the factory fulfills such strict standards.

It is a special facility that catches even very small particles with a diameter of 0.0005 mm, and is designed to prevent outside air from entering.

Chilled sweets that also small children eats. It is reassuring to know that we are so particular about the environment.

Commitment ③ “Fun” Make snack time more fun

Monteur The theme of the event is "Make Snack Time More Enjoyable," and includes seasonal sweets and sweets classes.

Sweets recipes that make you want to try were also introduced.

▼ Sweets recipes can also be viewed here
https://recipe.monteur.co.jp/

At the photo spot at the end, say cheese!

You will also receive a certificate of participation! It will be a memory.

It was a 30-minute tour of the factory, but we were very satisfied with the tour as we were able to see the actual production line. The panels with original characters, including Cream Puff-kun and other original characters, provide fun explanations, so it is easy for children to become interested in the product. This is a factory tour that both parents and children can enjoy!