Shokukai Co., Ltd
Food Business Company
As a partner connecting farms to consumers. the Yamatane Group works hand-in-hand with producers to drive sustainable regional agriculture through rice and other agricultural products.
Japan’s rice farming industry is facing challenges. Farmers are aging and leaving the profession, while economic hurdles keep new farmers from entering the field. To address these realities, the Yamatane Group is pushing forward with initiatives that include introducing productivity-enhancing technologies, promoting environmentally responsible farming practices, and supporting young people who want to enter agriculture. Our goal is to build a sustainable agricultural future that will thrive for generations to come.
Moreover, in October 2023, we welcomed Shokukai Co., Ltd, a company operating a commercial frozen food wholesale business, to our Group. Shokukai supplies frozen and prepared foods for boxed lunches and deli items to supermarkets nationwide, and delivers over one million meals worth of commercial frozen foods daily, primarily to meal delivery services across Japan. We’re working to create synergies between Shokukai and our existing rice wholesale operations.
The Yamatane Group will continue enriching the lives of all our stakeholders through the power of food.
- Supporting the Sustainability of Production Areas
- Japan’s rice farming faces multiple issues: an aging workforce, declining profitability that discourages new farmers, a growing shortage of successors, and harvest quality issues caused by climate change.
With rice supply potentially falling short of demand within the next few years, the Yamatane Group is partnering with companies and organizations that have agricultural expertise and technology. Together, we’re building a support system that helps farmers continue their operations with confidence.
- Ensuring Stable Rice Supply Through Production Area Partnerships
- Our rice wholesale business has spent a century building rock-solid relationships with premium production areas across Japan, securing the safe, reliable, and delicious rice our customers demand. We’ve also developed diverse procurement channels to ensure stable supply and expand our market share. As domestic rice production continues to decline, we’re securing our supply through in-house production and expanded partnerships, targeting an annual volume of 100,000 tons by fiscal 2030.
- Safety, Security, and Environmental Responsibility at Inzai Rice Mill Factory
- Our Inzai Rice Mill Factory in Chiba Prefecture, operating since February 2022, ranks among Japan’s largest rice milling facilities and leverages cutting-edge equipment to deliver superior quality and productivity. The center goes beyond manufacturing products to international standards like SQF※ and ISO. We conduct rigorous quality inspections right from raw material intake to ensure quality control. Our rice milling plant is designed to minimize energy use wherever possible. We also reuse the water from our pre-washed rice production as feed material, reducing waste processing energy. The facility features solar power generation for renewable energy use and earned both the highest five-star BELS rating and ZEB Ready certification when it opened. SQF (Safe Quality Food): An international standard for food safety and quality assurance. It combines HACCP food safety management with ISO 9001 quality management system elements.
- Shokukai Co., Ltd Joins Our Group
- Shokukai Co., Ltd is a trading company specializing in frozen food that helps customers boost their profitability through a diverse range of services. The company runs multiple business lines: supplying frozen and prepared foods for boxed lunches and deli items to supermarkets nationwide; delivering over one million daily meals of commercial frozen foods to meal delivery services across Japan; providing ingredients to medical facilities, welfare institutions, corporate and school cafeterias, restaurant chains, and hotels; plus additional services like food safety consulting, online retail, and Smarite, their next-generation store operation system that prioritizes food safety and convenience.
Holding the top market share in commercial frozen food distribution to boxed lunch and meal service providers, Shokukai brings expertise in product development and procurement capabilities. By maximizing synergies with Yamatane’s rice wholesale and logistics operations, we’re driving value creation across the entire group.
The Food Business Company’sNew Ventures
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Expanding Rice-Related Products and Customer Base
We’re moving beyond traditional refined and brown rice wholesaling to develop rice-based processed foods and discover new applications for byproducts like rice bran and broken rice. We’re also ramping up development of eco-friendly products and organic rice to meet growing market demand while actively pursuing customers in new markets and cross-selling opportunities with Shokukai Co., Ltd to expand our customer base.
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Entering Agricultural Production
In September 2024, we partnered with producers to establish BLUE SEED NIIGATA Co., Ltd, an agricultural production company. BLUE SEED NIIGATA is working to create a highly profitable agricultural business model at our company through new rice cultivation technologies, agricultural IoT implementation, efficient machinery operations, and diversified farming operations that include fruit cultivation. We’ll support the future of farming communities by sharing proven expertise and expanding our partnership network.
For business inquiries and questions, please contact us here.
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For business inquiries and questions, please contact us here.
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