Häagen-Dazs Japan, Inc.

  • Head Office
    2-1-1 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0051
  • Established
    August 1984
  • Capital
    ¥460 million
  • Sales
    ¥50.5 billion(FY2022)
  • Employees
    269(as of May 2022)
  • Business activities
    Production and sales of Häagen-Dazs
  • Website
Häagen-Dazs Japan, Inc.

Company Overview and Philosophy

“Dedicated to Perfection.”

Since our establishment in August 1984, Häagen-Dazs Japan Co., Ltd. has been committed to our mission "to continue to delight and inspire customers by providing frozen desserts that exceed their expectations."
The philosophy that underlies these actions is expressed in the corporate philosophy "Dedicated to Perfection." From product development to delivery to the customer, we will fulfill our mission by adopting the customer's perspective as we strive for perfection in all corporate activities, not least of which are quality and brand.

Primary CSR Activities

CSR Management Promotion

Comprehensively raising CSR awareness

We have established a corporate code of ethics, which serves as the basis upon which we advance CSR activities.
In addition, we continually raise CSR awareness by providing information via means including the company intranet.

Quality Management

Certified for food product safety and quality control

In 1998, the Häagen-Dazs Gunma Plant acquired approval from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for "Production or Processing of Foods by Comprehensive Sanitation Control Production Process" (ministry's Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point [HACCP] program). In May 2013, approval was acquired under the FSSC22000 international food safety management system. By thoroughly managing our products in accordance with FSSC22000, we further strengthen food safety across all processes from raw ingredient procurement to production and distribution.

The Gunma Plant

The Gunma Plant

Implementing employee training on quality

A quality handbook is distributed to employees to ensure that all can perform their daily work with a correct understanding of quality. The booklet provides a comprehensive overview of the quality initiatives undertaken by Häagen-Dazs. We also provide in-house training as part of our efforts to ensure that every single employee fully understands the importance of quality control.

Relations with Customers

Strengthening communication with customers

We greatly value communication with our customers, and reflect their opinions in our business activities. In 2010, we established our Basic Policy on Customer Satisfaction, and all of our employees act in keeping with it.

Basic Policy on Consumer Satisfaction

We strive to realize, maintain and improve consumer satisfaction in every way through various activities to fulfill our responsibility as a member of society. We value communication with consumers, and provide safe and reliable products and services that bring joy to consumers, gaining their trust, while providing information and reflecting consumer feedback in our business activities.

Action Guidelines for the Customer Service Center
  1. 1.
    We will respond to customer inquiries and complaints promptly, accurately and conscientiously, while striving to be fair and just.
  2. 2.
    We will provide customers with a diverse range of information that they can trust and be pleased with.
  3. 3.
    We will see to it that the opinions and requests of our customers, as well as the requirements of society, are reflected within the company.
  4. 4.
    We will comply with laws and our own standards to protect the rights of the consumer.

In addition, Häagen-Dazs Japan has formulated a set of Customer Response Rules in keeping with ISO10002, which provide a code of conduct for the above basic policy and action guidelines. Through these rules, we recognize the right of customers to make inquiries and lodge complaints. The rules clarify the initiative and responsibility we undertake in responding to customers with the objective of maintaining and improving their satisfaction through our corporate activities. We will also formulate and thoroughly familiarize employees with standards and procedures based on these rules.
Information on customer inquiries is entered into our internal information system as soon as we receive the contact. We respond to inquiries in cooperation with the department in charge and record the results. Utilizing this system not only enables us to respond quickly and accurately to customer feedback, but also to share valuable information from customers in real time throughout the company, leading to quality improvement, product development, and enhanced risk management.

We actively utilize our website and the "Secrets of Taste" booklet to provide our customers with useful information. At our website, for example, we provide information on how to enjoy ice cream, such as what to look for when purchasing it and how to store it at home.

Häagen-Dazs Customer Satisfaction Initiative

Environmental Efforts

Certified under the international environmental standard ISO14001

In 2001, the Häagen-Dazs Gunma Plant acquired certification under the international environmental standard ISO14001. We have set goals for reducing water and electricity consumption for more environmentally friendly product manufacturing. We are also working to make more effective use of resources by recycling raw ingredients left over from the manufacturing process into animal feed and other products.

Initiatives for the Suntory Sustainability Vision

CO2CO2

Promoting efforts to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the lifecycle

From production to distribution and sales, we promote energy-saving activities to reduce CO2 emissions. We also manage the volume of electricity and paper consumption in our offices to conserve energy.

Raw IngredientsRaw Ingredients

Pursuing quality of raw ingredients

We dedicate ourselves thoroughly to quality in order to provide customers with the Häagen-Dazs Moment (that blissful instant that occurs when Häagen-Dazs is tasted). We are especially particular about milk, the main ingredient of ice cream. Our dairy farmers adjust feed to suit the physical condition of each individual cow, and even manage the components of grass and soil, which determine the composition of milk. We also use carefully selected secondary ingredients which determine the taste, such as fruits, nuts, and chocolate from around the world. We believe that we can enhance the Häagen-Dazs brand not only by making safe and trustworthy products, but also by offering even higher quality products that delight our customers.

Containers and PackagingContainers and Packaging

Reducing volume, weight and plastic use in packaging

As we strengthen our efforts to reduce plastic, we have set Plastic Resource Reduction Targets with a target date of 2025. Our ultimate aim for these efforts is to reduce our annual plastic use volume by 50% per year (compared to 2021). We will also move ahead with a gradual switch from petroleum-derived plastics to environmentally friendly plastics or non-plastic materials for ice cream packaging materials (lids, tamper-evident components, etc.) and spoons.
We are also working to reduce environmental impact by making packaging materials such as mini cups, lids, spoons, and corrugated cardboard thinner and lighter.

Human RightsHuman Rights

Fair human resource system in place

To help ensure that our employees feel a sense of fulfillment in their work, we have developed a fair and highly credible evaluation system involving interviews during which self-evaluations and evaluations from supervisors are discussed.

Employing Persons with Disabilities

We hire people with disabilities mainly for clerical and other duties at our headquarters.

Promoting work-life balance

We undertake initiatives with work-life balance in mind so that we can help employees balance their professional and family/social lives. In particular, since long working hours have a significant impact on employees' physical and mental health, we have specified the reduction of overtime work as a company-wide issue, and are working to optimize work hours by implementing thorough management measures.

Strengthening initiatives to support the development of the next generation

To enable employees to work in a comfortable environment over the long term, we are enhancing and strengthening our systems for childcare leave and for shortened work hours to facilitate childcare. We have also introduced an early return to work support system to assist employees who wish to return to work and play an active role at an early stage.

Strengthening initiatives to support the development of the next generation

Creating a healthy and comfortable workplace

We have introduced "Health Mileage," a welfare program that gives points to employees for their health efforts. Under this system, points are earned for each healthy activity, such as walking or improving lifestyle habits, and employees receive prizes of their choice according to the points they have accumulated.
Also, in order to prevent discrimination and harassment in the workplace, we hold training sessions and workplace workshops to raise employee awareness.

Enriching LifeEnriching Life

Supporting the Kiritappu Wetland National Trust

Since 2007, Häagen-Dazs Japan has been providing support for the Kiritappu Wetland National Trust in Hamanaka, Akkeshi, part of Hokkaido's Konsen district, a production area for the milk used as a key ingredient of ice cream. Kiritappu Wetland has also been registered in Ramsar Convention in 1993 as the third largest wetland in Japan. In addition to providing financial support, our employees regularly conduct volunteer activities, working together with members of the local community to preserve the scenery of the wetlands by repairing the boardwalk.

A view of landscape repair

A view of landscape repair

Ice cream donated to food bank

Since 2007, we have supported Second Harvest Japan, an authorized NPO and Japan's first food bank organization.
Through our food donations to Second Harvest Japan, which conducts food bank activities* providing food free of charge to social welfare facilities, we provide ice cream to children at those facilities every summer vacation and Christmas season. In doing so, we provide happy times and smiles.

  • *
    Food bank activities: Activities providing food products to social welfare facilities, etc. The donated food products were previously discarded in spite of there being no safety issues in the manufacturing and distribution processes.
Donating ice cream to child-care facilities

Donating ice cream to child-care facilities

Providing school-visit classes in nutrition & career education

In order to advance education regarding nutrition and careers, we have been visiting schools to present classes, mainly at elementary schools in Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa Prefectures, titled "What is delicious?" The program serves about 30 schools each year. Many children get to experience a sense of gratitude for the food they eat, the enjoyment of cooperating with their peers, and the pleasure of making others happy through work.
In 2019, we also presented classes for elementary school students in the cities of Iwaki and Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, as part of the Suntory Group's Suntory Tohoku Sun-Sun Project supporting recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

  • Visiting lecture classes on nutrition

    Visiting lecture classes on nutrition

  • Children's New Product Plans Presented

    Children's New Product Plans Presented

Receiving visits to the company

Häagen-Dazs Japan accepts visits to the company by middle school and high school students, who can learn about our brand, our commitment to quality, and our product development process. The program also began accepting students online in 2020.

An online visit to the company

An online visit to the company