13February
2013

Nestlé Japan celebrating the 100th anniversary and future,in the congenial and productive city of Kobe

Nestlé Japan Limited is a company supplying awide variety of Nestlé brand products. Thecompany provides an array of beverages, food,confectionery and pet products for Japanese
consumers. It established its headquarters in Kobe
in 1922. In April, 2013, Nestlé Japan marks thecentennial anniversary and engages business for 90
years in Kobe. Then why was Kobe chosen to
locate Nestlé Japan's headquarters in Japan?
Last November Masaaki Muramoto, ExecutiveOﬃcer Public Aﬀairs, Nestlé Japan, lectured at aseminar held in Tokyo where he focused on Kobe
as the optimal business center and a pleasant,congenial place to live and work.

Mr. Masaaki Muramoto, Executive Oﬃcer Public Aﬀairs, Nestlé Japan

Creating shared value in global market

Kobe, best to live and work inin, which has a well-organized transportation network,

Nestlé has always kept three principles in mind. TheseWe Nestlé Japan will be happy to celebrate ourcity center. For the epicurean, Kobe is prominent to serve

are fundamentals of our business practice. First iscentennial anniversary in 2013. Ninety-nine years ago, inpalatable Beef Steak or fresh fish from the Inland Sea of

Creating Shared Value , where we contribute not only

the year 1913, Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company

Seto, and trustworthy Japanese restaurants as well as

to make a proﬁt but also to use our ability and resources

established its Japanese branch in Yokohama, which

foreign choices based on Kobe's rich cultural diversity.

to solve social problems through business. Secondly, wemarked the start of Nestle Japan. But before less thanThe city also boasts refined street view, such as

facilitate a sustainable and steady growth in an area often years had passed, the branch was moved to Kobe,

Kyu-kyoryuchi (former foreigners settlements), foreignbusiness. This can be shown in every yearly results.

thanks to a successful collaboration with factories ofcommunities and schools for foreign students. Besides, it

Thirdly, we let strong business prospects lead us to amilk and condensed milk in Awajishima Island. Besides,

is fairly good to conduct an ecological or cultural

successful future. We hold clear vision to become one ofthere were numerous reasons for the relocation that

contribution to local society of Kobe.

the top global food industries which contribute toincludes Kobe s growing prominence as a business hub

Tree-planting and eco-clean hiking in Mount Rokko area,

Nutrition, Health and Wellness of consumers.

for domestic and foreign companies, a lot of trading

within thirty minutes ride from the center of the city, orNestlé has employed the best minds in business toﬁrms and potent wholesalers located around. The citymorning

promoteespecially oﬀered a reasonable convenient location andheadquarters are customarily practiced by our staff.

an established foreign community.

Coming this April 2013, one hundred years will haveresearch,developmentand

thechanges

necessary for success. So we are tackling social problems
related to the environmental sustainability of agriculture,easy commuting system and golf courses located near thecleaning

activities

in

thevicinityof

thepassed since Nestlé Limited started its business in Japan.

beverages. And Nestlé also supports to better nutrition

New business areas torespond changing japanese societythrough water and rural development programs. OurNowadays Japan is facing severe socioeconomic struggles,

outlook in our business.At length please let me

initiative aims at improving the standard of living forincluding decreasing population, an aging society andrecapitulate,coﬀee-bean farmers, most of whom are smallholders.

worsening deﬂation. Approaching struggles Nestlé Japan isadvantages in doing business activities!

We would like to enable farmers to provide us withstriving to grow through three key areas of business.Thesuperior-quality coﬀee beans. We try to share the value

ﬁrst area, Coﬀee Innovation , focuses on selling coﬀee

in the form of partnership with coﬀee-bean farmers tomakers: Nescafé Barista and Dolce Gusto emanating fromyield ﬁrst-rate, world-class coﬀee.As for caring for

Nescafé Brand, One million Barista have already beenchildren, Nestlé Healthy Global Program implements

accepted in the market.The second area,

educational program to improve nutrition, health and theavailability , where we also focus highly on making sure ouroverall wellness of children.

customers can get our products where they need them.

especially for those who produce raw materials for ourProductgrowing steadily, and then continue to maintain a stable
Kobe,cityLine of businessthrough which, we engage ourselves to promote numerous
forms of digital communication as well as conventional
advertising methods.

Kobe, Advantageous City to do business
Kobe is far better to live, than any other cities I once lived

http://www.hyogo-kobe.jp

themostclear

Location

Production andwholesale of beverages,
food, confectionary,
pet food and otherproducts

emphasis on the third area Consumer Communications ,has

7-1-5 Goko-Dori
Chuo-ku, Kobe

Product availability insures that our products can be sent

Of course, as any company must, we attach great

thatNestlé Japan Limited

to our customers both by digital order and by direct sales
whenever and wherever and however they require them.

Employees who take the tree-planting activities in Mt. Rokko.

90 years will have passed in Kobe. And we have been

Number of employees
Approximately 2400,
including aﬃliatedcompany employees
Nestlé Japan headquarterFebruary201313

Abundant nature, weather climateand history, all the diverse tastes
Hyogo-Kobe oﬀers
The Hyogo-Kobe region oﬀers a varied dietary culture inspired by its
diverse climate and natural environment. A wide range of food andcuisine exists within the region including a countless variety of local
specialties which include reﬁned sake, western-style confectioneries,
Japanese sweets, somen noodle (ﬁne wheat noodle), snow crab,
Akashi octopus and Kobe Beef.
Companies within the food industry are continually developing new
products and focusing on global business strategy while preserving
their legacy. Recently, other food-related companies have been
moving to industrial complexes in Hyogo prefecture to take part in
Hyogo-Kobe's abundant food culture, nurtured by abundant nature,weather and climate.

Reﬁned sake produced in Nada Gogo(ﬁve-sake brewery regions)
Kobe City, Nishinomiya City
Nada Gogo, also known as the ﬁve-sake brewery regions,are located within approximately 12 kilometers stretchingfrom the Nada Ward in Kobe City to Imazu in Nishinomiya
City. Historically, it's stated that sake has been produced
there since the Genko Kenmu Period (1331-1336 A.D.).
Sake brewers from the Tanba Toji gear group are renown
for their remarkable sake brewing skills. They are also
blessed with Kobe's favorable climate, which produces
Yamada Nishiki premium rice and Miyamizu water,
both found in the region.
Production and shipmentsfrom this region accountfor approximately 28% ofdomestic sake, making KobeHyogo one of the largest
sake-producing areas inJapan. Sake brewers are
enthusiastic to introduce
reﬁned sake. Sake companies
strive to gain exposure bydeveloping new productsandholding
specialpromotional events.

Western confectionery blossomed in a port city
Kobe City
After Kobe port opened to the rest of the world, western
way of life inundated during
the Meiji Period (1868-1912A.D.). Western confectionery
was introduced as justone of the numerous
western cultural inﬂuences.
Foreigners who lived in
Kobe helped to reﬁne thetaste of a variety of desserts.
They also inﬂuenced thedessert process in theproduction where cakes,chocolate, cookies, biscuits

and cream puﬀs were eventually created. Once Kobe
Confectionery was established, it continued to produce
desserts and gained nation-wide notoriety. Presently,large and small confectionery businesses, along withmanufacturers, stand side by side in Kobe. Regarded as amecca for sweets, Kobe Confectionery is now apronominal name of the Kobe Brand .

Japanese sweets evolved asa main accessory of tea ceremony
Himeji City
Japanese sweets in Himeji have developed andfeatured as one of the town's traditional sweets inthis famous castle locale. Himeji sweets were
founded in the late Edo Period when its namebecame recognized nation-wide.
It s said thatsuccessive Himeji Castle lords embraced teaceremony as mental culture and encouraged the useof Himeji sweets to promote the development of theconfectionery industry. Himeji Dagashi, known as
inexpensive simple sweets are famous for fried
confectionery oﬀerings
such as karinto fried
dough cookies. Himeji
makes its presence felt
with their delicate andﬁne Japanese sweets
suitable for the Himeji
castle town as well as
simple sweets dagashi .

Bright somen, ﬁne wheat noodles
Tatsuno City, Shiso City, Minami Awaji City
Ibo-no-Ito , is a type of Banshu Tenobe Somen (Banshu
ﬁne wheat noodle), mainly produced in Tatsuno City andShiso City. This successful brand-name accounts forapproximately 44 % of all ﬁne wheat noodle domestic
products. A combination of dry winter air, excellent waterfrom the River Ibo, premium local wheat and salt
produced in Ako have made production possible since
the Muromachi Period (1338-1573 A.D). The delicate
ﬂavor and taste of regional noodles have gained great
approval from people of all generations and isincreasingly popular in foreign countries such as North

http://www.hyogo-kobe.jp

America and Asia.
Awajishima Island takes credit for the introduction ofsomen (ﬁne wheat noodles), in the late Tokugawa
Period. Noodle making developed in Nantan (SouthernAwaji Island) District thanks to the suitable climate.
Fishermen made noodles
to compensate for thelack of ﬁsh during thewinter season. Noodle
making is still a part ofthe economy and current
sales for souvenir noodle
products such as egg andseaweed somen are everincreasing.

Blessedly abundant natural bounty
Snow crab tossed about by the torrent of the Japan Sea
stands out for its taste. Noted as the king of winter ,snow crabs are just one of the products from the region's
natural coastal environment stretching from north tosouth. Akashi Sea Bream and Octopus are abundant andlive in the rapid tidal currents of the Akashi Strait. One
popular delicacy, Akashi-Yaki, is a fresh octopus dumpling
grilled with an egg yolk.
Tajima Beef is said to have been raised with great care.
Introduced as Kobe Beef for the sweetness obtained
from its fat, foreigners in early settlements in Kobe andforeigners today indulge in this Kobe city delicacy.
Garden eels, pike conger, Tanba Matsutake (mushrooms),
black beans and many more natural regional products are
oﬀered year round. Experience and appreciate all thediverse tastes Hyogo-Kobe area has to oﬀer.