Shichiyo

What Shichiyo does

Shichiyo Co., Ltd. (七洋製作所) is a Japanese commercial oven manufacturer founded in 1963 and headquartered in Fukuoka (Kasuya-gun, Umi), with additional sales offices and demonstration rooms in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, plus manufacturing operations at the Umi Wakakusa factory. The company designs and produces the BACKEN series of deck ovens, the Nanban-gama kiln, steam rack ovens (ZEN), steam convection ovens (REN), tunnel ovens (Limousine), and bakery ovens (Seven), with proprietary sealed-combustion technology and independent upper/lower heat control developed over 14 years of joint R&D. Its customer base spans Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean confectionery shops, bakeries, hotels, and food manufacturers, with documented implementations at Hotel InterContinental Tokyo Bay, Pâtissier ES Koyama, and Club Harié among others.

The company's business model combines one-time capital equipment sales with recurring consumables revenue and technical services. Beyond ovens, Shichiyo manufactures and sells Original Frozen Dough products (choux pastry, puff pastry, sponge cake bases), specialty flour mixes (Pan O Passion, Nanban Flour), and provides management consulting, technical training through its Nanban School, and OEM production services — a vertically integrated offering explicitly repositioned in 2023 under the 'Okashi no Moto Company' (Confectionery Ingredients Company) brand to address Japan's chronic confectionery labor shortages. Sales are conducted primarily through direct showroom engagement, regional distributors, and major industry exhibitions (FOOMA JAPAN, Mobac Show, West Japan Food Industry Creation Expo). The company is privately held by founding family (President Motoyuki Uchiyama), with no institutional equity or parent holding disclosed.

Name

Shichiyo

Legal name

七洋製作所株式会社 (Shichiyo Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://shichiyo.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Shichiyo is a 60+ year-old Japanese manufacturer of commercial deck and steam ovens for the confectionery and bakery industry, serving patisseries, bakeries, hotels, and food manufacturers in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea through direct showroom sales and OEM services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Baking Equipment

NAICS

Frozen Cakes, Pies, and Other Pastries Manufacturing (311813), Dry Pasta, Dough, and Flour Mixes Manufacturing from Purchased Flour (311824)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated & Frozen Doughs and Batters Manufacturing (AFAKACAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Baking Mixes, Doughs & Batters Manufacturing (AFAKAAAE), Grain-Based Mixes & Doughs Manufacturing (pancake/waffle mixes, baking mixes, dough bases) (AFAKABAF), Frozen Bakery Products Manufacturing (AFAKAAAF)

Keywords

• Commercial deck ovens
• Steam convection ovens
• Tunnel baking ovens
• Bakery equipment
• Frozen dough products

Headquarters

HQ city

Fukuoka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Commercial Oven Sales: Sale of commercial deck ovens, steam rack ovens, tunnel ovens, bakery ovens, and related baking equipment to confectionery shops, bakeries, hotels, and food manufacturers. Revenue is one-time capital expenditure with long sales cycles and enterprise-level transactions.
2. Frozen Dough Products: Production and sale of frozen dough products including choux pastry, puff pastry (折パイ), and other bases to confectionery shops. Supports OEM production of pastry based on customer recipes. Complements oven sales and addresses labor shortage in the industry.
3. Technical Support & Consulting: Management consulting, technical training, and business support services for opening and operating confectionery shops, including layout planning, recipe development, and operational guidance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shichiyo designs, manufactures, and sells commercial baking ovens—including sealed deck ovens (BACKEN series, Nanban-gama), steam rack ovens (ZEN), steam convection ovens (REN), tunnel ovens (Limousine), and bakery ovens (Seven)—primarily for professional confectionery shops and bakeries. The company also produces and sells in-house frozen dough products (choux, puff pastry, sponge bases) and complementary baking equipment such as automatic depositors and cutters.

Product overview

Shichiyo (七洋製作所) is a commercial oven manufacturer with 63 years of history, operating as a 'Sweets Ingredients Company' (お菓子の素カンパニー). Their core product lineup centers on the BACKEN series deck ovens including the flagship 南蛮窯・南蛮バッcken (Nanbangama/Nanban BACKEN), スーパーバッケン (Super BACKEN) with controllable bottom heat, and specialized variants such as バッケン・エボリューション, エコ・バッケン, アート・バッケン, and プティ・バッケン. The portfolio expands into steam technology with the スチームラックオーブ ZEN and スチームコンベクションREN steam convection ovens, tunnel production with the ロングスルーオーブン リムzin, and bakery-specific solutions including ベーカリーオーブン セベン. Supporting products include ムービーバッケン with display screens, バッケン・デポ and バッケン・カッター for automated production. Complementing the equipment line are frozen dough products (七洋オリジナル冷凍生地) and specialty flour mixes like パン オ パッション and 南蛮粉. The company maintains facilities in Fukuoka (headquarters), Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, each with technical labs for product development and customer support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 南蛮塾 (Nanban School): A technical training and confectionery guidance center operated by Shichiyo's technical staff, offering hands-on baking guidance to confectionery shop owners.
• ナンバンプレス (Namban Press)

Products and services

• Nanbangama / Nanban BACKEN (南蛮窯・南蛮バッケン) Flagship sealed deck oven line for confectionery shops, featuring sealed combustion chambers for superior heat retention and consistent baking of Western and Japanese-style pastries.
• Super BACKEN (スーパーバッケン) Next-generation high-power deck oven with independently controllable bottom heat, achieving approximately 30% faster firing speed while keeping lower heat stable even after 2+ hours of preheating at 200°C upper / 150°C lower.
• Steam Rack Oven ZEN (スチームラックオーブンZEN) Next-generation steam convection oven combining pressurized steam injection with rack-oven baking, enabling both steam and dry baking modes and achieving natural oven rise similar to fixed-deck kilns in a compact design.
• Long Through Oven Limousine (ロングスルーオーブン リムジン) Tunnel oven engineered to reproduce the baking power and quality of the BACKEN line in a continuous-throughput production format for high-volume confectionery and bakery operations.
• Bakery Oven Seven (ベーカリーオーブン セブン) Bakery-specific oven featuring a rapid hearth cooling function (COOL DOWN) that enables fast switching between high-temperature hard bread baking and low-temperature sweet pastry baking without waiting for temperature transitions.
• BACKEN Evolution (バッケン・エボリューション) Evolution model of the BACKEN deck oven series offering enhanced baking performance and features for professional confectionery production.
• ECO BACKEN (エコ・バッケン) Energy-efficient version of the BACKEN deck oven designed to reduce power consumption while maintaining baking quality.
• Steam Convection REN (スチームコンベクションREN) Compact high-performance steam convection oven combining steaming and convection baking capabilities for versatile production.
• BACKEN Ocean (バッケン・オーシャン) Specialized BACKEN-series deck oven designed for specific bakery applications.
• Art BACKEN (アート・バッケン) Art-focused BACKEN-series deck oven model tailored for specialty baking applications.
• Petit BACKEN (プティ・バッケン) Compact BACKEN-series deck oven designed for smaller-scale confectionery production.
• Movie BACKEN (ムービーバッケン) BACKEN-series deck oven featuring a built-in display screen that shows the baking process in real-time, adding entertainment value to in-store baking demonstrations.
• BACKEN Depo (バッケン・デポ) Automatic depositor/squeezing machine designed to work with the BACKEN oven for automated filling of choux pastry and similar products.
• BACKEN Cutter (バッケン・カッター) Automatic cutting machine for baked goods, enabling consistent portioning without manual labor.
• Shichiyo Original Frozen Dough (七洋オリジナル冷凍生地) In-house manufactured frozen dough products including choux pastry, puff pastry (折りパイ), and sponge cake bases, designed to address labor shortages in the confectionery industry. Also offers OEM production based on customer recipes.
• Pan O Passion (パン オ パッション) Specialty flour mix for soft French bread production, enabling confectionery shops to produce high-quality bread products.
• Nanban Flour (南蛮粉) Castella mix flour developed to simplify castella production by eliminating the need for bubble cutting and iron plate covering processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Labor time reduction: Reduced working hours by approximately 20% while doubling sales at a major hotel customer (ホテル インターコンチネンタル 東京ベイ)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Unox: Italian manufacturer of combi ovens and bakery-specific oven lines, including CHEFTOP and BAKERTOP models. Comparable to Shichiyo's REN steam convection and ZEN rack oven products in targeting patisseries and bakeries with compact, high-performance ovens.
• MIWE: German manufacturer specializing in deck ovens, rack ovens, and bakery proofers with global distribution. Directly comparable to Shichiyo as a premium specialist in commercial bakery ovens serving patisseries and industrial bakeries.
• Bongard: French bakery equipment manufacturer with a long history in deck ovens, rack ovens, and retarder-proofers. Comparable to Shichiyo as a heritage European specialist serving the same patisserie and bakery customer base.
• Wiesheu: German bakery oven manufacturer producing in-store baking ovens and central production rack ovens. Closely comparable to Shichiyo's Backen and ZEN rack oven lines for artisan and patisserie customers.
• Salva: Spanish manufacturer of industrial and artisan bakery ovens, including deck and rack ovens with strong presence in European and Latin American markets. Comparable to Shichiyo in its deck oven specialization.
• Sveba Dahlen: Swedish commercial bakery equipment manufacturer producing deck ovens, rack ovens, and proofers. Comparable to Shichiyo in serving industrial bakeries and patisseries with premium deck and rack oven technology.

Regional players

• Hoshizaki Corporation: Japan-based global manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment including ice machines, refrigerators, and dishwashers. Comparable as a Japanese commercial foodservice equipment manufacturer with overlapping distribution channels, though Hoshizaki does not specialize in baking ovens.

Broad incumbents

• Middleby Corporation: US-listed global leader in commercial kitchen equipment through numerous acquired brands. Comparable as a broad incumbent that owns competing bakery oven brands and serves the same foodservice customer base, but with vastly greater scale and product breadth.
• Blodgett: US-based commercial oven manufacturer with a long heritage in deck and convection ovens for foodservice. Comparable to Shichiyo in the deck oven category, though Blodgett's primary market is North American foodservice rather than Asian patisseries.
• Rational AG: German global leader in combi-steamers for professional kitchens with growing penetration in bakery applications. Comparable as a premium European commercial oven/steamer manufacturer, though Rational's core strength is in savory cooking rather than baking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shichiyo