Yoshinoya Holdings New Business Presentation

Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yasutaka Kawamura) announced a new business venture related to ostrich, a high-value-added material that exhibits excellent functions in the fields of beauty and health, at Spiral Hall (5-6-23 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024.

Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Ltd. Executive Officer and Doctor of Agriculture, Tomoko Tsuji / Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Ltd. President and CEO, Yasutaka Kawamura / Freelance announcer and actor, Misato Ugaki / Veterinarian, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and President of Kyoto Prefectural University, Yasuhiro Tsukamoto

Freelance announcer/actor Misato Ugaki

▼Yasutaka Kawamura, President and CEO of Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Ltd.

Yoshinoya Holdings has decided to launch an ostrich-related business. We focused on ostrich for two reasons. First, we saw a bright spot in terms of social issues. Society faces a variety of challenges, including population growth and food insecurity. In this context, we saw value in ostrich as an ingredient, as it helps prevent food overconcentration. Second, it was a way to ensure the sustainability of our business. Yoshinoya has built a 126-year history around gyudon (beef bowls), but relying solely on one business carries risks. Therefore, we needed to develop other businesses alongside gyudon. It was at this time that we came across ostrich. When we tried it, we found the flavor similar to lean beef and thought it was simply delicious, and we began to see potential in the ostrich business.

In fact, while researching ostrich, a certain characteristic became clear. It was discovered that it is not only edible, but also has great potential for beauty benefits. Ostrich oil has a melting point close to human body temperature. This makes it easy for the skin to absorb, and it also has the effect of promoting the penetration of skin-beautifying ingredients.

Yoshinoya Holdings is taking advantage of this penetration effect to launch a cosmetics brand called "SPEEDIA." The flagship product is the Gravus Booster Ball, which enhances the effectiveness of the ingredients in your existing cosmetics and serums. It is a product that can be used by anyone, regardless of gender or age.

Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Ltd. President and CEO Yasutaka Kawamura

Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, President of Kyoto Prefectural University, a veterinarian and doctor of veterinary medicine who is a leading expert on ostrich research in Japan, and Tomoko Tsuji, Executive Officer of Yoshinoya Holdings and doctor of agriculture who has continued to research the functionality of ostrich ingredients, gave presentations on the latest trends regarding ostriches and skin care products using ostrich oil.

▼Veterinarian and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine / President of Kyoto Prefectural University, Yasuhiro Tsukamoto

Despite the fact that ostriches are small eaters, eating only one-fourth the amount of food that cows eat, they lay the largest eggs on Earth and grow to about 2.5 meters in just one year. And above all, they are environmentally friendly animals, producing very little methane gas. However, because they are plain-looking, don't make any noise, and aren't livestock, there haven't been many distribution channels established for them until now.

▼Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Ltd. Executive Officer/Doctor of Agriculture, Tomoko Tsuji

The newly announced SPEEDIA product, ostrich oil, is an animal product that is easy to use and handle, similar to plant-based oils. Furthermore, based on research findings that this oil also has the ability to facilitate the penetration of other ingredients, measurements were taken and it was discovered that the penetration rate of niacinamide, which has recently been attracting attention as a beauty ingredient, was surprisingly increased by 23 times. Ostrich meat is also lean and similar to chicken breast, so it is rich in protein and iron. Going forward, we plan to make effective use of all ostrich resources, including feathers and bones.

▼Freelance announcer/actor Misato Ugaki

To me, beauty is time spent pampering myself. The time I spend on beauty is soothing, and when my skin looks better as a result, I feel even better, so it's something I treasure. At first, I didn't really know much about ostrich oil, so I was excited to see what it was like and couldn't wait to try it. When I actually used it, it blended into my skin the moment I put it on, so it absorbed quickly, and I was very happy that I could use it together with my regular cosmetics. Skincare is a very important foundation when applying makeup, so I use ostrich oil to create beautiful skin. I have dry skin, and this product softens my skin, helping to combat dryness.

▼Thoughts ~After the interview~

Yoshinoya and cosmetics. At first glance, the two don't seem to have much in common. However, through this interview, I strongly felt that this is an initiative that only Yoshinoya, a company that takes social issues seriously, could undertake. Although there are still issues, such as the declining ostrich population, I thought it was an innovative challenge. Misato Ugaki, who shared her impressions of using ostrich oil, said that her skin was so radiant that it was noticeable from afar, and I definitely wanted to try it. It was also my first time eating ostrich meat; it was very tender, had no odor, and was delicious! Through this interview, I learned that the strengths of ostriches can be used to solve social problems.
Mayuka Kato, 3rd year student at Otsuma Nakano High School

Student Newspaper Online, August 28, 2024 Interview: International Christian University, 2nd year student Watanabe Waka / International Christian University, 2nd year student Wakao Mai / Kokugakuin University, 2nd year student Teranishi Shion

Mai Wakao, second-year student at International Christian University; Shion Teranishi, second-year student at Kokugakuin University; Waka Watanabe, second-year student at International Christian University; Mayuka Kato, third-year student at Otsuma Nakano High School; Yurie Watanabe, first-year student at Josai International University; Chisaki Hashimoto, third-year student at Toyo University