Calbee Announces 2026 'Fan With! Project' Fan Meetings Following Success with Over 1,000 Participants

Calbee, Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Nobu Ebara) has announced that, following last year's success, it will continue to hold the Calbee 'Fan With! Project' throughout fiscal 2026. The project involves interacting with fans at various locations across the Calbee Group, including branches, factories, and potato fields. The first event will be a potato harvesting fan meeting in Kumamoto Prefecture on May 23, 2026 (Sat).

[Project Background] Since its founding in 1949, Calbee has launched numerous products such as 'Kappa Ebisen,' 'Potato Chips,' 'Frugra,' and 'Jagarico.' Driven by the desire to meet and deepen connections with the fans who love these products, Calbee launched its first nationwide fan meeting project, 'Fan With! Project,' in 2024. It was held at 17 locations nationwide, with approximately 600 fans participating. In fiscal 2025, the company held its first collaborative fan meetings with group company 'Calbee Potato' and other companies, and on March 21, 2026 (Sat), the final event was held in Hong Kong, marking the first overseas fan meeting. Over 1,000 fans and approximately 700 employees have interacted through this project.

In the fiscal 2025 fan meetings, the company achieved an average satisfaction rating of 4.93 out of 5 in post-event surveys. Furthermore, the average product purchase amount after the event increased to 153% compared to before participation, providing an opportunity to increase customer interest in Calbee products. Additionally, employees from factories and sales departments who rarely have contact with customers in their daily work interacted with fans, resulting in a high employee motivation score of 4.8 out of 5.

Based on the results of fiscal 2025, Calbee has decided to continue the 'Fan With! Project' in fiscal 2026. The project will focus on fan meetings for the 'Calbee Potato Chips' series, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in September 2025, and is scheduled to be held about 14 times at factories, branches, group companies, and potato fields. It will start with the 'Potato Harvesting Experience' in Kumamoto Prefecture on May 23, 2026 (Sat). On May 31, 2026 (Sun), the first fan meeting with the group company 'Calbee Kaitsuka Sweet Potato' will be held.

You can apply for the 'Fan With! Project' through the Calbee smartphone app, 'Calbee Ruby Program.' We look forward to your participation in special projects that can only be experienced through this initiative, including interactions with Calbee employees.

*1: Surveyed via the 'Calbee Ruby Program' app; target products are all Calbee products. *2: Applications for the Calbee Kaitsuka Sweet Potato fan meeting will be accepted via a dedicated application form.

Special Website: https://www.calbee.co.jp/lbeeprogram/fanmeeting/