For the 27th installment of this series, we spoke with Atsushi Nemoto (53), president of Yakult Brazil Commerce and Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as BY).
Yakult Ladies are a common sight to see walking around the city of São Paulo. With the motto of “A healthy intestine leads to a long life,” they deliver Yakult in a pushcart (with a cooling unit) printed with the Yakult logo, and the sight of them chatting with neighbors while doing so has become a familiar sight in residential areas of São Paulo.
Brazil was the second country where Yakult expanded overseas
Founded in 1966, BY currently operates in 40 countries and regions around the world, including Japan, with the corporate slogan “For the health of people and the planet,” aiming to bring health to as many people as possible. Behind the office reception counter, a unique display features artistically designed Yakult product packages manufactured and sold around the world.
Yakult’s first overseas expansion was to Taiwan in 1964, followed by Brazil. In 1968, they opened a factory in the city of São Bernardo do Campo and began manufacturing and selling their main product, the lactic acid bacteria product Yakult. In 1979, they established a factory in Lages, about 100km from São Joaquim in Santa Catarina State, where Japanese immigrants had begun growing apples. They produced sugar-free concentrated apple juice based on Fuji apples, which went on sale in 1984.
Since then, BY has become the company with the most diverse product lineup among Yakult’s overseas businesses, including Yakult 40 (known as 400 in Japan), Yakult 40 Light, yogurt Soful, Toughman EX, Highline F, soybean drink with fruit juice TONYU, and dairy drink with fruit juice Yodel.
Yakult was the first fermented milk in Brazil to be approved as a health food by ANVISA (the National Health Surveillance Agency) in 2001. In the same year, Hyline also won an award as the only nutritional supplement drink for women in Brazil that contains essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, high fiber and iron.
Yakult Ladies’ achievements over more than half a century
BY’s dairy product sales volume, including in Uruguay, was approximately 1,399,000 bottles per day in the January-September period of 2023. The composition of its distribution channels is the whole of Brazil (35% home delivery, 65% in stores) and the Greater São Paulo area (53% home delivery, 47% in stores).
Since its founding, the company has grown together with Yakult Ladies, independent delivery business operators. The company has implemented the unique delivery system through Yakult Ladies that it established in Japan in Brazil, and as of September last year, there were 4,362 independent Yakult delivery business operators (4,015 directly managed by the company).
Yakult Ladies were created to provide business opportunities for women to become financially independent, but for over 55 years in Brazil they have also been engaged in health promotion awareness activities to prevent disease by maintaining a healthy intestinal environment with Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain, a “living microorganism that provides health benefits.”
As a result, the Yakult brand has become so well-known among consumers in São Paulo that it has become synonymous with fermented milk (Leite Fermentado), and it maintains its position as the top brand when considering purchasing or consuming fermented milk.
It is not easy to recruit Yakult Ladies, so employees knock on the doors of each store and accompany the women they hire for over a month to teach them how to do the job. Brazil has large regional, economic and racial differences, so it is necessary to consider the consumer market in a segmented way, but thanks to Yakult Ladies who are rooted in the community, it has been possible to adapt to regional characteristics. Currently, the company has 63,906 stores and corporate partners across Brazil.
Supporting baseball and the World Aquatics Championships in Brazil
In 1999, BY opened the Yakult Sports Center and baseball stadium in Ibiuna, Sao Paulo. The Brazilian Youth Baseball Team Tournament is held regularly every year, and the Brazilian Baseball Confederation also operates a baseball academy, focusing on nurturing promising baseball players. Yakult Honsha in Japan sponsors the World Aquatics Championships, while BY sponsors the Brazilian Water Sports Confederation, and they are continuing sponsorship activities.
Direct sales of Yakult Wagyu beef to end, but breeding continues
Since the Brazilian Association of Wagyu Producers was established in 1995, dairy cows and wagyu beef have been raised at the Yakult Farm in Bragança Paulista. The beef has been sold directly to retailers and delivered to consumers, and has been well received, but due to stock shortages, the company will no longer sell the beef. Although die-hard fans of the beef are expressing their disappointment, the beef will continue to be raised.
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Overview of Yakult Brazil Corporation |
*This article is reprinted from the Brazil Nippo (April 27, 2024).
© 2024 Tomoko Oura
