Mitsubishi Shokuhin Co., Ltd. has launched the “Next 100 Years Project” in commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of the founding of Hokuyo Shokai on March 13, 2025. Hokuyo Shokai was the predecessor of Ryoshoku Co., Ltd., which became Mitsubishi Shokuhin in 2011 when it integrated three other companies: Meidi-Ya Shoji Co., Ltd., San-esu Co, Ltd., and Food Service Network Co., Ltd. To promote the project, the Company is preparing various internal and external programs and events.

In February 2024, ahead of the official start of the project, a preparation committee was formed to examine various possibilities to commemorate the centennial anniversary. Approximately six months later, a rough outline began to take shape and a project team was set up to officially start activities. Masaki Kimura, a project member from the Planning Unit inside the Corporate Planning Division’s Sustainability Group, outlines the purpose of the project as follows:

“The purpose of the project is to leverage the centennial milestone to organize specific plans for the company to express its gratitude in various ways. In line with this purpose, we have set the main theme of ‘gratitude’ along with four subthemes: ‘One Team,’ ‘parenting support,’ ‘regional revitalization,’ and ‘reconstruction assistance.’ We strive to effectively convey the company’s appreciation for the past 100 years and its commitment to the next 100 years, focusing on its determination to ensure stable and sustainable food supply chains while maintaining innovative capabilities to continually create new value in the food industry.”

In line with its main theme, the project aims to express the Company’s gratitude to all its stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, and both former and current employees, for their support over the past 100 years. It is thanks to the support of these stakeholders that the Company has been able to grow sustainably to this day. Recognizing this support is central to the project’s objective.

Kyoka Hieda, from the Corporate Governance Unit within the Corporate Governance Group, s the reasons for selecting the four subthemes. “The Company has already been working on ‘regional revitalization’ and ‘reconstruction assistance,’” she notes, “while ‘parenting support” is a more recent issue that we will address earnestly moving forward. ‘One Team’ has been chosen as the key theme to foster a strong sense of unity across the entire workforce, which is essential for the Company to thrive for another 100 years.”

The project will run five commemorative programs. They were chosen through a rigorious selection process, which started with the preparation committee reviewing a variety of candidate ideas, including a large event at an external venue. The five plans selected are: “Connect Our Employees! Video Making Challenge,” “Creation of the Image Song,” “Regular Cleanup Initiatives,” “Pop-up Stores,” and “Establish the MS Fund” (tentative name). The first two are for internal communication and the remaining three for external promotion. Each can be associated with any of the four subthemes and each provides a platform for engaging with all personnel.

We got a sneak peek at the preparations underway for the two internal programs “Connect Our Employees! Video Making Challenge” and “Creation of the Image Song.” For the video program, the rough sketch outlines a sequence showing individual employees passing along a sash. Clips will be prepared in various locations and compiled together to create a single short film. Aiming to set a significant record, the team is currently planning to recruit at least 250 employees, with a stretch goal of doubling that figure.

“We will start accepting applications from employees who wish to participate from April, aiming to achieve the record by November,” says Kimura. “The invitation to participate will be extended nationwide to group companies sales offices and logistics centers, seeking to create a sense of unity in line with ‘One Team’ theme.”

The planned corporate anthem will be used on various internal and external occasions, such as exhibitions, initiation ceremonies for new hires, and orientation sessions for recruitment candidates. The plan is to create an original song on the theme of “challenges.” Aiming to complete the task by July, the team is currently negotiating with a professional artist while also considering inviting employees to submit keywords and anecdotes associated with the Company or their jobs to be reflected in the lyrics. Masaru Kitazono, a secretariat member from the Corporate Planning Office of the Corporate Planning Division, explains the process. “Our working team held discussions and decided on the plan to collect keywords from employees so that their own thoughts and feelings could be reflected in the lyrics,” he says. “The hope is that the resulting work feels meaningful to employees while also helping to increase public recognition of the Company.”

The aim of the “Regular Cleanup Initiatives,” one of the external communication programs, is to give back to communities that support our regional operations while enchancing the environmental and social awareness of employees. Specifically, group employees are invited to commit to ongoing participation in municipal cleanup activities that are regularly organized in districts where group companies’ head offices and branch offices are located. The invitation to take part was sent out in March in some areas, earlier than others.

“Pop-up Stores” will be launched from September to November 2025 in seven cities across Japan, starting with Tokyo. The touring campaign shop will sell Mitsubishi Shokuhin’s original brands with the aim of promoting its name and products as well as to express the Company’s gratitude for the past 100 years and commitment to the coming 100.

To provide visitors with an enjoyable experience, the pop-up store will feature several special campaign programs, such as a food truck serving product samples, panel displays with explanations, hands-on activities on stage, and product sales. The team is also considering using the proposed corporate anthem as background music. Product sales will be given a lower priority, however, as Kitazono explains:

“This issue provoked some internal controversy, but we believe that the first priority should be promoting brand recognition of Mitsubishi Shokuhin and affiliated companies. Therefore, we have decided to focus on creating a fun and relaxing visitor experience by offering sampling opportunities. Our policy is to give back to society, which means being less profit-oriented and not focusing solely on product sales.”

The pop-up store will be larger in scale than typical establishements of this kind to accommodate a stage setup and food truck. The following shows the scheduled dates of the planned pop-up store.
Scheduled date
September 12-14, Tokyo
September 19-21, Hiroshima
September 26-28, Fukuoka
October 3-5, Nagoya
October 17-19, Sapporo
October 24-26, Osaka
November 7-9, Sendai

Meanhile, the plan for the original fund is to provide aid to child support groups, post-disaster reconstruction efforts and NPOs related to the Company’s business areas, selecting recipients according to the project’s purpose and the Company’s policies. Details will be discussed moing forward. The Public Resources Foundation has been selected as a partner for the fund.

Like the cleanup initiatives, long-term operation is an important goal for managing the fund. Accordingly, the fund’s structure is designed to ensure it remains operational for at least 100 years.

A dedicated website was launched to promote the 100th anniversary project. Additionally, for external communication, official X and Instagram accounts were created to share information. The 100th anniversary commemoration video, primarily aimed at external viewers, is being prepared for release on the dedicated website on March 13, 2025, the day of the anniversary. The video will also be shown at the pop-up store. Hieda outlines the objective of creating the commemoration video as follows:

“Mitsubishi Shokuhin is a relatively low-profile company. To increase public recognition of the Company, we have decided to use this opportunity to create a corporate video for external promotion. The video highlights the company’s role as a wholesaler, delivering products from food manufacturers to consumers, and provides a brief introduction to its 100-year history.”

Over the past century, Mitsubishi Shokuhin has developed its business in response to changes in the environment while continuing to serve its role in sustaining society. This track record has cemented the Company’s place as a valued community member and enabled it to reach the milestone of 100 years in business. The Company has now taken a new step forward to embrace a range of challgenges , aiming to reach the next 100-year milestone.