Sustainability
Well-Balanced Diet
Approach and Policy
The Takara Group will increase the value and appeal of the Japanese alcoholic beverage and Japanese food, and will bring rich diet filled with connections between people throughout the world by leveraging our position as a top manufacturer of the Japanese alcoholic beverage, and our Japanese food wholesaling network overseas.
Targets
| Initiative themes | Specific measures | Targets |
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| Providing the richness of food to people throughout the world through the Japanese alcoholic beverage and Japanese food |
Conveying and providing the appeal and new value of the Japanese alcoholic beverage: - Hold food and beverage tasting events - Market development through innovative products - Disseminate information with websites and social media - Spread the appeal and value of the Japanese alcoholic beverage overseas |
[ Takara Shuzo ] Sake: Spread information on the appeal of sake with a focus on sparkling sake like Mio among young people who are unfamiliar with sake. [ Takara Shuzo International ] Develop 10 exclusive overseas products and overseas business company products by FY2025. Expand to 100 export countries for JTAB (Japanese Traditional Alcoholic Beverages) by FY2030. |
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Conveying and providing the appeal and new value of Japanese food: - Hold events such as cooking labs and seminars on seasoning in collaboration with sellers - Participation in external initiatives - Disseminate recipes featuring Hon-mirin and cooking sake. - Spread Japanese food culture overseas |
[ Takara Shuzo ] Continue holding the Takara Hon-mirin Recipe Contest and the Japanese Cuisine Taught by Famous Chefs Course, co-hosted with the NPO Japanese Culinary Academy, to develop new demand for and spread the appeal of Japanese food made with Hon-mirin and cooking sake. [ Takara Shuzo International ] Engage in efforts to further spread Japanese food overseas such as setting up shops at exhibitions held around the world, disseminating information, and training chefs who specialize in Japanese cuisine. |
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| Creating communication through sake and providing a social lubricant |
Disseminate information about the enjoyment of sake and sake culture |
[ Takara Shuzo ] Achieve a total of at least 200,000 followers on Takara Shuzo’s official Facebook page by FY2025. |
Related SDGs
Initiatives
Providing the richness of food to people throughout the world through the Japanese alcoholic beverage and Japanese food
Spreading the excellence of sake to the world
True to its tagline, “yorokobi no sake (sake of joy),” Sho Chiku Bai is bringing the joy of drinking sake and its tastiness to many people in Japan and overseas in its effort to continue taking on the challenge of expanding sake users and creating a new future for sake culture.
Conveying and providing the appeal and new value of the Japanese alcoholic beverage
Sho Chiku Bai Shirakabegura Mio Sparkling Sake, a low-alcohol, easy-to-drink “unique Japanese sparkling sake that represents Japan,” brings good taste and excitement to the world with its refreshing bubbles and fruity and gentle sweetness coming from rice. In Japan, we are sharing Web videos under the theme, “On days when I want to relax, I go for Mio.” to convey the benefits of Mio felt by loyal users: “With just Mio, an ordinary day turns into an extraordinary, high quality time that gives me luxurious comfort.” By making people unfamiliar with traditional sake recognize it as a “new sake” that they, too, can enjoy, we aim to expand the number of sake users.
Overseas, we communicate information on Mio in various countries. In the United States, we are communicating the appeal of Mio through tie-in projects with popular restaurants and influencers, in addition to operating official social media accounts.
In addition, we launched the MIO×MAO channel to present the appeal of Mio, with figure skater Mao Asada as brand ambassador. We will continue to spread information about the wonders of sake, with a focus on sparkling sake like Mio. The main videos will be available in multiple languages so that we can spread the word around the world as well.
| Official sponsorship agreements with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants |
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| Collaboration with sake start-up company WAKAZE to promote sake globally |
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Conveying the appeal of alcohol-based seasoning
We provide information on alcohol-based seasoning, with a focus on Takara Hon-mirin, our top brand, and Takara Ryori no Tame no Seishu, a salt-free cooking sake, which continue to be chosen for their reliable quality. Using Takara Cooking Notebook, our official social media account, we communicate on an ongoing basis the power of sake to enhance the tastiness of dishes, as well as healthy recipes that align with growing health-conscious trends.
Dissemination of Japanese food culture and recipes using Japanese seasonings to the global market
Through TAKARA SHUZO INTERNATIONAL's website, each group company's website, and SNS, we provide information on Japanese food culture and recipes using Japanese seasonings in English and local languages.
| TAKARA SHUZO INTERNATIONAL （Japan） |
Tazaki Foods （the United Kingdom） |
FOODEX S.A.S （France） |
Cominport Distribucion （Spain） |
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Conveying the appeal of authentic Japanese cuisine
The Japanese Cuisine Taught by Famous Chefs Course, co-hosted by Takara Shuzo and the NPO Japanese Culinary Academy, began in 2009 and has been held a total of 54 times over the past 16 years. Participants who experienced the cooking effects of Takara Hon-mirin, which is rich in body and flavor and enhances the flavor of the dashi stock, and Takara Ryori no Tame no Seishu, which removes the fishy smell and tenderizes the ingredients, gave us feedback saying that they were pleased to be able to learn authentic Japanese cuisine and how to use alcohol-based seasonings directly from top chefs.
Conveying and providing the appeal and new value of Japanese food
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Due to its healthy image, Japanese food is increasingly gaining recognition and popularity overseas. Through our Japanese Food Wholesale Business in overseas markets, the Takara Shuzo International Group is supplying local Japanese restaurants, supermarkets, and retailers with a variety of Japanese food ingredients such as rice, laver, soy sauce, vinegar, and complementary products, which are essential for Japanese food. The Group is also engaged in promoting the wider adoption of Japanese cuisine abroad by exhibiting at exhibitions held in various locations and disseminating information through its showrooms.
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HYPER JAPAN2024
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Established in Los Angeles, California in 1926, Mutual Trading Co., Inc. is one of the oldest Japanese food wholesalers in the U.S. While dealing with a wide range of products of more than 10,000 kinds as a pioneer of the Japanese food wholesale business, the company runs Sake School of America to train people who are involved in sushi, Japanese food, and the Japanese alcoholic beverage, in addition to hosting the JAPANESE FOOD & RESTAURANT EXPO, a showcase of the Japanese alcoholic beverage and Japanese food for people engaged in the restaurant business. MIYAKO SUSHI & WASHOKU SCHOOL trains sushi chefs and Japanese food chefs according to the traditional Japanese style, and 278 students have graduated as of the end of December 2024.
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Sake School of America
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As the largest Japanese food wholesale network in Europe, the Foodex Group, which operates in 6 European countries, mainly France, has L’ATELIER DU SAKE, a washu showroom in Paris, where dedicated sommeliers are working to spread washu. The Foodex Group participates in various exhibitions, including Sirha, Europe’s largest international food service trade fair, which attracts more than 200,000 visitors. In addition, as part of the Project to Disseminate the Certification of Cooking Skills for Japanese Cuisine in Foreign Countries by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Foodex Group is striving to promote the spread of traditional Japanese food culture by supporting seminars that introduce to local chefs traditional Japanese cooking techniques, such as fresh fish Ikejime technique.
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The World Hospitality & Foodservice Event "Sirha"
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In the U.K., we have a special booth for the Sho Chiku Bai Shirakabegura Mio Sparkling Sake at Hyper Japan, the largest Japanese cultural event in the U.K., every year. In the U.K., the taste of the Mio Sparkling Sake is also highly praised and is increasingly gaining popularity particularly among young men and women.
Tazaki Foods Ltd., which is operating its business since 1978, offers products under its signature Yutaka brand. The Yutaka brand now offers more than 190 items. They are available not only in U.K. but also in more than 11 countries in and outside Europe. -
Promoting the Yutaka brand at U.K. food exhibitions
| Sho Chiku Bai Shirakabegura Nend Awarded a Gold Medal and a Trophy at IWC |
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Creating communication through sake and providing a social lubricant
Disseminate information about the enjoyment of sake and sake culture
We use our “Sakabanashi,” a website dedicated to make sake more enjoyable and various social network services to disseminate a wide range of information on sake, from how to enjoy