"A healthy society is at the heart of what we do. And at the heart of our little bottle."
- About Yakult
- Yakult Company Information
Our mission
The global corporate philosophy of the Yakult Group is:
"We contribute to the health and happiness of people around the world through the pursuit of excellence in life sciences in general and our research and experience in microorganisms in particular."
Yakult around the world
Yakult began its journey in Japan, and has since grown across 32 countries across the world, with more than 111,000 people now working with the organisation.
The Yakult Lady
The Yakult Lady performs an important role, delivering Yakult products door-to-door every day, from rural areas to high-rise buildings in the city. Interestingly, more than 60% of Yakult products in Japan are distributed by Yakult Ladies.
The Yakult Lady system started in 1963 and the company currently employs over 80,000 Yakult Ladies worldwide, with more than 43,000 in Japan alone.
In the UK, Yakult was launched in 1996, with the addition of Yakult Light in 2002. Yakult was introduced in Ireland in 2004. At present, Yakult is available in eight countries throughout Europe.
Science and research
At our research centres, there are over 170 scientists and doctors uncovering ever more applications for probiotics. Our scientists are continually working on how the application of intestinal bacteria can help maintain health as well as prevention and treatment of many diseases.
Our clever scientists have been involved in the research, development and manufacturing of a wide range of products such as pharmaceutical goods, foods and skin care products, many incorporating Lactobacillus casei Shirota. For more information regarding our research, please visit us at www.yakult.co.uk/hcp
Sponsorships
Internationally, since 1970, Yakult have sponsored the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, a professional baseball team who compete in Japan.
In addition, since 2005 Yakult has been an official partner of the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) World Championships and the FINA World Swimming Championships.
In the UK we focus our sponsorship activities on our key charity partners:
Core
Core (the Digestive Disorders Foundation): An independent national charity that funds medical research into the prevention, cure and treatment of all forms of digestive disorders.
The IBS Network
The IBS Network: a national charity, which offers support, information and advice on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Neither Core nor The IBS Network endorses any specific commercial or pharmaceutical products.
In addition, Yakult sponsors…
University of East Anglia
Yakult is proud to sponsor The Yakult Lectureship for Japanese Language Studies at the University of East Anglia (UEA). The lectureship will be based in the University’s School of Language and Communication Studies, with degree-level Japanese language courses starting from the 2011 academic year.
Science awards
In the UK, Yakult sponsors a range of awards for students at universities and institutes across the country studying or conducting research in subjects relevant to probiotics, such as nutrition, dietetics, nursing and microbiology.
We hope that these awards will encourage the next generation of scientists, and who knows, it might just help uncover the next Dr Shirota!
For more information please contact science@yakult.co.uk
