STARTUP OF THE DAY
🇯🇵 Le Furo - Naoki Mita
♨️ From Onsen to “Espresso” Wellness Export: Naoki Mita wants to bring Japan’s famous, previously “unexportable” hot springs to the world as a highly concentrated product using ‘craft onsen’ technology. Instead of shipping tons of water, his company Le Furo extracts minerals like iron, magnesium, and zinc from the hot spring soil, filters them, and grinds them into a fine powder that can be bottled or stored in tanks for export anywhere.
The Idea: “Just like you extract coffee as espresso.” The difference from standard onsen powders: no synthetic fragrances, but real, dissolved minerals for an authentic, health-promoting bathing experience.
The Goal: First facilities in the Gulf region from 2026 in countries where water is more valuable than oil. Mita sees this not just as a product, but as a culture: the Japanese ritual of a long, restorative soak.
👉 Lesson Learned: Innovation often means distilling tradition in the truest sense. Extract the essence – and make it available to the world!
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