【DEAN & DELUCA】Official Website Unveiled to Unravel the Charm of "Merchants," the Bearers Who Protect and Spread Food Culture, and New Internal System Launched
DEAN & DELUCA has launched an official website focusing on "Merchants," who convey producers' sentiments to customers, and introduced a new internal HR system. This initiative aims to cultivate the expertise of Merchants as bearers of food culture and provide customers with profound food experiences.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 11:31
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DEAN & DELUCA, operated by Welcome Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director: Masaki Yokokawa), has launched an official website that unravels the charm of "Merchants," who act as "communicators" bridging producers' sentiments to customers and "bearers" protecting and spreading food culture.
This website focuses on "Merchants" active in market and cafe stores nationwide, introducing how they deliver the stories and value behind food through their perspectives, experiences, and daily practices.
Special Feature Page: https://x.gd/81RuF
At DEAN & DELUCA, a "Merchant" is not merely a sales staff member; they are individuals who understand the creators' intentions and the background of ingredients, delivering their "deliciousness" to customers. While the English word means "trader," we imbue it with the meaning of a "communicator" who bridges producers' sentiments to customers, and a "bearer" who protects and spreads the ingenuity, thoughts, and narratives woven by producers as food culture.
In market and cafe stores, they create experiences that connect food and people through customer service that conveys producers' stories, ingredient characteristics, and the intentions behind menus. On this website, interview movies and symbol marks of five Merchants capture and visualize their roles, expansion, and diversity.
Furthermore, starting this fiscal year, we are launching a new HR system specifically for the "Merchant role," which delivers value beyond mere customer service. As a career path distinct from the "Management role" that oversees store operations, we have established a system that evaluates the accumulation of customer service, knowledge, and experience. Based on the understanding and communication skills cultivated through producer visits and training, we will foster their expertise as bearers of food culture throughout the DEAN & DELUCA division as an organization.
DEAN & DELUCA will continue to propose the depth of food value as a bridge between creators and customers.
**The Role of "Merchants" and the Customer Service Experience**
Merchants understand the stories behind ingredients and products, and by conveying them to customers, they provide an "experience" that goes beyond mere purchasing. Through proposals based on producers' sentiments, manufacturing methods, and local characteristics, and communication that unravels menu composition, they create the "joy of choosing" and the "joy of knowing."
For example, the "MEET LOCAL" project, which develops limited menus from ingredients discovered through visits and dialogues with producers, and the "TASTE" event, a tasting event across categories such as packaged food, bread, and deli dishes, themed around seasonal ingredients, are important roles of Merchants, as are initiatives with different producers at each store, leading to deeper regional and producer-linked menu development and event hosting.
**Interview Movies and Symbol Mark for Merchants**
This website features interview movies of five Merchants with diverse backgrounds, showcasing their values and work philosophies. In conjunction, recommended content linked to the online store introduces products carefully selected from the Merchants' own perspectives and their backgrounds.
The heart motif, the symbol of Merchants, was born from art contributed by dyer Samiro Yunoki for DEAN & DELUCA Japan's 20th anniversary.
Yunoki's words, "Individual connections. That is unity. The important, unique heart that each individual possesses. That is the big heart representing it," visually express the philosophy of connecting food and culture.
To enjoy encounters with food and deliver its wonder to many people.
DEAN & DELUCA's cherished sentiment is embodied in the new Merchant symbol, along with each Merchant's resolve to convey this to customers.
**A New Way of Working: The "Merchant Role"**
**Training System and Internal Qualification System**
Food Master Badge (Image) Food Master (Image)
Culinary (Image) Barista (Image)
There Is Always Room to Learn
Cherishing the words of co-founder Giorgio DeLuca, Merchants continue to learn as food specialists.
DEAN & DELUCA has formalized a training system where all members visit producers at least once a year. Through interviews with creators and on-site experiences, they deepen their understanding of the ingredients' charm, background, and challenges. The knowledge gained through these experiences is then applied to customer service in stores, enabling more in-depth proposals to customers.
This website focuses on "Merchants" active in market and cafe stores nationwide, introducing how they deliver the stories and value behind food through their perspectives, experiences, and daily practices.
Special Feature Page: https://x.gd/81RuF
At DEAN & DELUCA, a "Merchant" is not merely a sales staff member; they are individuals who understand the creators' intentions and the background of ingredients, delivering their "deliciousness" to customers. While the English word means "trader," we imbue it with the meaning of a "communicator" who bridges producers' sentiments to customers, and a "bearer" who protects and spreads the ingenuity, thoughts, and narratives woven by producers as food culture.
In market and cafe stores, they create experiences that connect food and people through customer service that conveys producers' stories, ingredient characteristics, and the intentions behind menus. On this website, interview movies and symbol marks of five Merchants capture and visualize their roles, expansion, and diversity.
Furthermore, starting this fiscal year, we are launching a new HR system specifically for the "Merchant role," which delivers value beyond mere customer service. As a career path distinct from the "Management role" that oversees store operations, we have established a system that evaluates the accumulation of customer service, knowledge, and experience. Based on the understanding and communication skills cultivated through producer visits and training, we will foster their expertise as bearers of food culture throughout the DEAN & DELUCA division as an organization.
DEAN & DELUCA will continue to propose the depth of food value as a bridge between creators and customers.
**The Role of "Merchants" and the Customer Service Experience**
Merchants understand the stories behind ingredients and products, and by conveying them to customers, they provide an "experience" that goes beyond mere purchasing. Through proposals based on producers' sentiments, manufacturing methods, and local characteristics, and communication that unravels menu composition, they create the "joy of choosing" and the "joy of knowing."
For example, the "MEET LOCAL" project, which develops limited menus from ingredients discovered through visits and dialogues with producers, and the "TASTE" event, a tasting event across categories such as packaged food, bread, and deli dishes, themed around seasonal ingredients, are important roles of Merchants, as are initiatives with different producers at each store, leading to deeper regional and producer-linked menu development and event hosting.
**Interview Movies and Symbol Mark for Merchants**
This website features interview movies of five Merchants with diverse backgrounds, showcasing their values and work philosophies. In conjunction, recommended content linked to the online store introduces products carefully selected from the Merchants' own perspectives and their backgrounds.
The heart motif, the symbol of Merchants, was born from art contributed by dyer Samiro Yunoki for DEAN & DELUCA Japan's 20th anniversary.
Yunoki's words, "Individual connections. That is unity. The important, unique heart that each individual possesses. That is the big heart representing it," visually express the philosophy of connecting food and culture.
To enjoy encounters with food and deliver its wonder to many people.
DEAN & DELUCA's cherished sentiment is embodied in the new Merchant symbol, along with each Merchant's resolve to convey this to customers.
**A New Way of Working: The "Merchant Role"**
**Training System and Internal Qualification System**
Food Master Badge (Image) Food Master (Image)
Culinary (Image) Barista (Image)
There Is Always Room to Learn
Cherishing the words of co-founder Giorgio DeLuca, Merchants continue to learn as food specialists.
DEAN & DELUCA has formalized a training system where all members visit producers at least once a year. Through interviews with creators and on-site experiences, they deepen their understanding of the ingredients' charm, background, and challenges. The knowledge gained through these experiences is then applied to customer service in stores, enabling more in-depth proposals to customers.