Established a new company with UpCycleTea that employs 90% of people with disabilities [HACO LiB Co., Ltd.]
*View in browser* *HACO LiB Co., Ltd.*
Press release: April 1, 2024
April Dream Project
**
Established a new company with UpCycleTea that employs 90% of people with disabilities [HACO LiB Co., Ltd.]
*We aim to increase employment of people with disabilities and establish a new company with UpCycleTea “HACOCHA”, which is made only with vegetables and fruits*
This press release is a dream sent out by a business operator who sympathizes with the April Dream project and wants to make April 1st a day full of dreams, hoping to make them come true.
HACO Co., Ltd.
LiB (Headquarters: Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture/Representative: Ayaka Yukimori) aims to establish a new company with a 90% employment rate for people with disabilities with UpCycleTea, a new type of tea made only from vegetables and fruits.
Aiming to create a society where everyone can work comfortably Our company supports April Dream, which aims to make April 1st the day to share dreams.
This press release is a dream of “HACO LiB Co., Ltd.”
HACO, a welfare service business operated by our company, provides work in a considerate environment to people who are unable to work at regular companies due to disabilities or intractable diseases, and provides continued employment support to help them find employment at regular companies. This is a type A business. As we provide support on a daily basis, we have seen firsthand that there are still significant barriers throughout society for people with disabilities or
intractable diseases to work at regular companies.
Employment Continuation Support Type A Office HACO
The government has established the “Act on Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities” with the aim of promoting job stability and independence for persons with disabilities, and is promoting many initiatives. Starting in 2024, the legal employment rate for people with disabilities will be raised in stages, from the current 2.3% to 2.7% in 2026. However, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (*), the percentage of companies that achieved the legal employment rate in fiscal 2023 was 50.1%, an increase of 1.8 points from the previous year, but approximately half of companies still did not reach the legal employment rate. . *Source: Aggregated results of employment status of persons with disabilities in 2020 | Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
In response to this current situation, our company has set a dream of “Establishing a new company at UpCycleTea with a 90% employment rate for people with disabilities” in order to further focus on efforts to create a society where everyone can work comfortably.
Reason for choosing “90%” instead of “100%”
Some people may feel that since this is a dream, it would be better to have a 100% employment rate for people with disabilities. However, we believe that this 10% is important for realizing your dreams.
As we operate a continued employment support business, we feel that the existence of understanding people is extremely important for people working with disabilities or intractable diseases. Their presence is essential for providing a stable working environment and continuing employment. Additionally, for employers, understanding the characteristics of people with disabilities, viewing them as strengths, and providing them with appropriate opportunities to work will lead to securing valuable labor and improving productivity.
In other words, our dream of “a new company with a 90% employment rate for people with disabilities” is “a new company where 10% of people who understand support employment of people with
disabilities.”
The key to making dreams come true is “UpCycleTea “HACOCHA”” Our company will work hard to make this dream come true. The key to this is “UpCycleTea,” which is part of our dream. This is the new product “HACOCHA” that will be on sale from today, April 1, 2024. This is the second product of the local brand “Hakonokobako (*)” launched by HACO, a type A employment support business.
*: What is the employment support and regional revitalization that the new brand “Hakonokobako” aims to find hidden materials in the region and deliver them in “nice” form?
The development of “HACOCHA” began when a nearby farmer approached us about outsourcing tea leaf processing operations.
“Agricultural products that are unavoidably discarded during the shipping and growing process are processed into tea leaves, but the process is extremely time-consuming, and there is a shortage of labor during peak shipping times.” , we received an inquiry about entrusting the work to our company.
At this time, we were impressed by the wonder of turning large amounts of waste into attractive products, and realized that by involving more farmers, we can grow into a business that brings various changes to society. I felt sexual.
In fact, there are many farmers who process their crops into tea leaves. Tea leaves are suitable for long-term storage, and for farmers, they can be expected to not only reduce waste, but also serve as a valuable source of income during periods when they are not being shipped. However, our mainstay is agricultural products, and our top priority is to grow them every day and ship them in the best condition. Processing tea leaves requires time and effort, so it may be difficult for farmers alone to handle the process, especially during peak shipping times. However, the peak shipping period, when losses are greatest, is also the best time to process tea leaves.
That’s where we come in. Although the process is certainly
time-consuming, most of it is simple and has the advantage of being easy for people with disabilities or intractable diseases to work on. By allowing farmers to focus on growing their crops, and allowing our office, HACO, to take care of everything from processing to sales, it is possible to take advantage of the best of each other and increase sales. In fact, vegetable tea already exists that is produced through collaboration between farmers and welfare facilities. We thought that if we could create products with even higher added value, more jobs would be created there.
So, we thought about what added value we could add and came up with blended tea. Through repeated trial production, we discovered that there are combinations of tea leaves made from vegetables and fruits that make them even more appealing. I felt that blending doubles or triples the quality of the drink. We believed that this could be an added value that could only be created by a tea brand that
collaborates with multiple farmers.
Therefore, the local brand “Hakonokobako” has decided to partner with multiple farmers to develop, manufacture, and sell UpCycleTea “HACOCHA” made only with vegetables and fruits. Pre-orders will begin on the online shop from today, and HACO, which operates in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture, will be available in late April 2024. We will also start selling over-the-counter at SHOP.
Hakonokobako Online Shop
Hakonokobako’s second product “HACOCHA”
Making HACOCHA a regional brand and a product that Kyushu is proud of A variety of agricultural products are grown in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, where our company is headquartered, and according to a survey by the Kyushu Agricultural Administration Bureau, Kyushu’s
agricultural output accounts for 20% of Japan’s national total. Furthermore, the agricultural specialization coefficient from the prefectural economic calculations ranks third after Hokkaido and Tohoku, making it a region where agriculture has a large weight compared to other regions nationwide.
Source: I want to see it! I want to know! Kyushu Agriculture 2023 Chapter 2 Looking at it from statistics (Kyushu Agricultural Administration Bureau)
Therefore, as a regional brand that communicates the charm of the region, we will communicate the appeal of tea made only from vegetables and fruits from Kyushu, which is also called Japan’s food base, to the whole country and the world, and make it a product that Kyushu is proud of. My first goal was to grow it. This is because it becomes a source of pride for the members involved in this product.
Eventually, we will make the business independent and aim to establish a new company that employs many people with disabilities, with a 90% employment rate for people with disabilities.
Comment from Representative Director Ayaka Yukimori
Representative Director Ayaka Yukimori
“Hakonokobako was an initiative that was started to let the members working at HACO know the excitement of creating products with their own hands and to feel the joy of working. 1st product cappa
a la
mode (Kappa a la mode) received over 400% support through crowdfunding Makuake, was nominated for the final selection of the Fukuoka Design Award, and has set numerous records, becoming a product that all members are proud of. Seeing the proud expressions on our members’ faces during manufacturing and packaging, I am acutely aware of the significance of this initiative.
The launch of the second edition of HACOCHA is an important step towards realizing our big dream. We will continue to move forward without giving up until the day when HACOCHA spreads its wings around the world and makes our dreams come true. We would appreciate it if you could watch over our progress and support us from time to time. ” Product Summary
HACOCHA will initially partner with four farms and start with six products (four types of tea leaves and two types of gift products).
The sales location and product details are as follows.
[Sales location]
From April 1, 2024 Hakonokobako Online Shop Late April 2024 ~ HACO SHOP (22-16 Josumi-cho, Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
【Product list】
100% asparagus from Yanagawa
[HACOCHA 001 Asparagus/Farmer：made in akko]
Asparagus tea made in partnership with an asparagus farm in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The parts that are cut off during shipping are processed into tea leaves. His wife, who is an esthetician, invented it. It has a fragrance similar to barley tea or roasted tea, and a sweetness unique to asparagus.
15g 1500 yen
Amaou strawberry 100%
[HACOCHA 002 Strawberry/Farmer：soil select farm]
Soil Select is a farm operated by Soi L, a type A business that supports continued employment in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Strawberry tea made in partnership with farm. We processed
non-standard Amaou strawberries into tea leaves. You can fully enjoy the charm of Fukuoka Prefecture’s branded variety Amaou.
15g 1500 yen
100% olive leaf from Yanagawa and Wasui
[HACOCHA 003 Olive leaf/Farmer: oliva gato]
oliva has farms in two locations: Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture and Izumi Town, Tamana District, Kumamoto Prefecture.
Olive leaf tea made in partnership with gato. The olive leaves produced by pruning, which is essential for the growth of olives, are processed into tea leaves. It has a beautiful golden color and a refreshing scent.
15g 1500 yen
100% Yamakawa mandarin oranges from Yamakawa
[HACOCHA 004 Orange/Farmer:irodori farm]
Mikan tea made in partnership with Irodori Farm in Yamakawa-cho, Miyama City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The parts and skin that are cut off during the manufacturing process are processed into tea leaves. It is 100% “Yamakawa Mikan” which is famous not only in the prefecture but also all over the country.
15g 1500 yen
The blend of asparagus tea and strawberry tea has an elegant taste that is recommended for entertaining.
[HACOCHA GIFT Asparagus & Strawberry]
001 Asparagus and 002
A gift product that includes Strawberry and is delivered in an original gift box. You can enjoy each one alone or in a blend. 10g each 3800 yen
A blend of olive leaf tea and tangerine tea has a great aroma and is recommended for relaxing.
[HACOCHA GIFT Olive leaf＆Orange]
003 Olive leaf and 004
A gift item that includes Orange and is delivered in an original gift box. You can enjoy each one alone or in a blend.
10g each 3800 yen
Company Profile
Company name: HACO LiB Co., Ltd.
Location: 2-12-6 Dorimachi, Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Representative: Representative Director Ayaka Yukimori
Business content: Operation of HACO, a type A business office that supports continued employment
Official website: https://hacolib.com/
-Continued employment support type A office HACO-
Currently providing services in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Works on restaurant and select shop management, SNS operation, review site operation, product development, etc.
Business introduction: https://hacolib.com/haco-top/
Restaurant “Hanbaagutei”: https://hanbaagutei.hacolib.com/
Review site “PR HACO”: https://hacolib.com/pr/
“April Dream” is a project by PR TIMES in which companies broadcast their dreams that they hope to eventually come true on April 1st. We are seriously aiming to make this dream come true.
*About details about this release*
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000005.000116072.html