[April Dream] A 78-year-old established company takes on the challenge of turning Japanese dashi into a "global health infrastructure." Backed by Osaka Top Runner certification and starting from the Imperial Hotel, they aim for 40 billion yen in sales by 2035 through a "food OS" update.
Hamaya Katsuo, a 78-year-old dashi manufacturer, is launching a global initiative to use their plant-based "MAGIDASHI" product to support the health and eating abilities of the elderly worldwide. By leveraging food technology and a fabless business model, they aim to establish dashi as a global health infrastructure and reach 40 billion yen in sales by 2035.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 16:30
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 08:05
April 1 is April Dream.
We support "April Dream," an initiative that encourages companies to use April 1st as a day to share their dreams rather than tell lies. This press release represents the dream of Hamaya Katsuo.
To members of the press,
April 1, 2026
Hamaya Katsuo Co., Ltd.
[April Dream] Turning Japanese dashi into global health infrastructure. A 78-year-old established katsuobushi (dried bonito) shop takes on the challenge.
An OS update to protect the ability to "enjoy delicious food until the very end of life."
Hamaya Katsuo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City; Representative Director: Tadashi Kimura) supports "April Dream," an initiative that turns April 1st into a day for companies to share their dreams rather than tell lies, and we hereby declare our dream: to protect the "eating power" of the elderly around the world through Japanese dashi culture.
■ Our Dream: From "delicious" dashi to "technology that saves the world"
The "dashi culture" passed down by the Japanese people for centuries is not merely a seasoning; it is a "compass for life" that balances our minds and bodies. We will evolve this traditional dashi into a "global health infrastructure" that solves the "loss of the joy of eating" faced by the elderly worldwide.
■ Background: The preciousness of "eating power" seen through over 1,000 food education activities
Since taking over the family business, Representative Tadashi Kimura has conducted over 1,000 "food education activities" across the country. From children whose eyes light up at the aroma of freshly shaved katsuobushi to the elderly whose expressions soften after a single sip of dashi, these interactions made us realize the fundamental truth that "the power to eat is the power to live."
However, in today's super-aging society, many people around the world are on the verge of developing dysphagia (swallowing disorders) and are losing the "joy of eating." With the belief that "a dream is something that makes someone smile," we are taking on the following three innovations:
1. "Dashi is a drinking technology": Proving saliva secretion through science
Through joint research with university professors, we will build evidence that the aroma of 100% plant-based MAGIDASHI promotes saliva secretion and improves appetite. We are proposing a new concept of care that contributes to improving dry mouth and preventing dementia worldwide.
2. The world's first intervention in "pre-dysphagia care"
Instead of dealing with problems after they occur, we intervene at an earlier stage to protect the ability to eat independently. We are elevating the "primal experience of deliciousness" cultivated through 1,000 food education sessions into a medically-backed method for "maintaining eating power."
3. "Dashi of Peace": One Table, One World, One Planet
Our 100% plant-based dashi, utilizing the latest food tech, transcends the barriers of religion, culture, and import restrictions. We aim for a future where everyone—whether vegan or halal—can smile at the same table.
■ What is MAGIDASHI: Updating tradition into a "Food OS"
"MAGIDASHI" is an innovative product that recreates the "golden ratio of blended dashi" held by our 78-year-old company using the latest plant-based technology.
- Satisfaction beyond the real thing: Without using any animal-derived ingredients, we have achieved the "rich umami" and "fragrant aroma" unique to authentic katsuobushi. It has already been adopted by over 80 companies, including top-tier hotels and famous high-end restaurants.
- Future-style fabless network: We do not own our own factories; instead, we rapidly deploy our intellectual property (recipes) and core ingredients globally. Through this model of bottling at local partner infrastructures, we will begin a simultaneous global rollout starting in 2026.
■ The "strongest lineup" and "certain steps" backing our realization
This dream is no longer a fantasy. It has already begun to sprout as a national-scale project.
Osaka Top Runner Certification: On March 25, 2026, we were officially selected for the Osaka City "Osaka Top Runner Development Project." With social credibility and strong backing, we will accelerate our challenge to the world.
Declaration at the Imperial Hotel: On March 27, 2026, at the "Noare Kitchen Alliance" held at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, we expressed our unity with top leaders from various industries. We have initiated a "food revolution" through co-creation.
■ Message from Representative Director Tadashi Kimura
"Amazing things happen easily." Through over 1,000 food education activities, I have felt the power of dashi firsthand. Our narrative, which has sincerely faced dashi for nearly 80 years since our founding, has now been updated into an adventure to save the world. Protecting tradition means continuing to change.
We are seriously committed to creating a future where Japanese dashi saves the future of the elderly and wraps dining tables around the world in a warm aroma.
[About Hamaya Katsuo Co., Ltd.]
Founded in 1948. Based in Osaka, we manufacture traditional hana-katsuo, dashi-katsuo, dashi packs, and more. Through the "MAGIDASHI" project, we aim to build a "Food OS" platform with a 1% global market share and 40 billion yen in sales by 2035. We are confident that one day, our challenge will be featured on programs like "Jonetsu Tairiku," "Professional: Shigoto no Ryugi," or "Gaia no Yoake" as a story of how Japanese tradition saved the world. Convinced that such a day will come, we continue to install dashi into the world one step at a time today.
URL: https://magidashi.com/
"April Dream" is a PR TIMES project where companies share the dreams they are seriously committed to achieving, rather than simply telling lies on April 1st.
We support "April Dream," an initiative that encourages companies to use April 1st as a day to share their dreams rather than tell lies. This press release represents the dream of Hamaya Katsuo.
To members of the press,
April 1, 2026
Hamaya Katsuo Co., Ltd.
[April Dream] Turning Japanese dashi into global health infrastructure. A 78-year-old established katsuobushi (dried bonito) shop takes on the challenge.
An OS update to protect the ability to "enjoy delicious food until the very end of life."
Hamaya Katsuo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City; Representative Director: Tadashi Kimura) supports "April Dream," an initiative that turns April 1st into a day for companies to share their dreams rather than tell lies, and we hereby declare our dream: to protect the "eating power" of the elderly around the world through Japanese dashi culture.
■ Our Dream: From "delicious" dashi to "technology that saves the world"
The "dashi culture" passed down by the Japanese people for centuries is not merely a seasoning; it is a "compass for life" that balances our minds and bodies. We will evolve this traditional dashi into a "global health infrastructure" that solves the "loss of the joy of eating" faced by the elderly worldwide.
■ Background: The preciousness of "eating power" seen through over 1,000 food education activities
Since taking over the family business, Representative Tadashi Kimura has conducted over 1,000 "food education activities" across the country. From children whose eyes light up at the aroma of freshly shaved katsuobushi to the elderly whose expressions soften after a single sip of dashi, these interactions made us realize the fundamental truth that "the power to eat is the power to live."
However, in today's super-aging society, many people around the world are on the verge of developing dysphagia (swallowing disorders) and are losing the "joy of eating." With the belief that "a dream is something that makes someone smile," we are taking on the following three innovations:
1. "Dashi is a drinking technology": Proving saliva secretion through science
Through joint research with university professors, we will build evidence that the aroma of 100% plant-based MAGIDASHI promotes saliva secretion and improves appetite. We are proposing a new concept of care that contributes to improving dry mouth and preventing dementia worldwide.
2. The world's first intervention in "pre-dysphagia care"
Instead of dealing with problems after they occur, we intervene at an earlier stage to protect the ability to eat independently. We are elevating the "primal experience of deliciousness" cultivated through 1,000 food education sessions into a medically-backed method for "maintaining eating power."
3. "Dashi of Peace": One Table, One World, One Planet
Our 100% plant-based dashi, utilizing the latest food tech, transcends the barriers of religion, culture, and import restrictions. We aim for a future where everyone—whether vegan or halal—can smile at the same table.
■ What is MAGIDASHI: Updating tradition into a "Food OS"
"MAGIDASHI" is an innovative product that recreates the "golden ratio of blended dashi" held by our 78-year-old company using the latest plant-based technology.
- Satisfaction beyond the real thing: Without using any animal-derived ingredients, we have achieved the "rich umami" and "fragrant aroma" unique to authentic katsuobushi. It has already been adopted by over 80 companies, including top-tier hotels and famous high-end restaurants.
- Future-style fabless network: We do not own our own factories; instead, we rapidly deploy our intellectual property (recipes) and core ingredients globally. Through this model of bottling at local partner infrastructures, we will begin a simultaneous global rollout starting in 2026.
■ The "strongest lineup" and "certain steps" backing our realization
This dream is no longer a fantasy. It has already begun to sprout as a national-scale project.
Osaka Top Runner Certification: On March 25, 2026, we were officially selected for the Osaka City "Osaka Top Runner Development Project." With social credibility and strong backing, we will accelerate our challenge to the world.
Declaration at the Imperial Hotel: On March 27, 2026, at the "Noare Kitchen Alliance" held at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, we expressed our unity with top leaders from various industries. We have initiated a "food revolution" through co-creation.
■ Message from Representative Director Tadashi Kimura
"Amazing things happen easily." Through over 1,000 food education activities, I have felt the power of dashi firsthand. Our narrative, which has sincerely faced dashi for nearly 80 years since our founding, has now been updated into an adventure to save the world. Protecting tradition means continuing to change.
We are seriously committed to creating a future where Japanese dashi saves the future of the elderly and wraps dining tables around the world in a warm aroma.
[About Hamaya Katsuo Co., Ltd.]
Founded in 1948. Based in Osaka, we manufacture traditional hana-katsuo, dashi-katsuo, dashi packs, and more. Through the "MAGIDASHI" project, we aim to build a "Food OS" platform with a 1% global market share and 40 billion yen in sales by 2035. We are confident that one day, our challenge will be featured on programs like "Jonetsu Tairiku," "Professional: Shigoto no Ryugi," or "Gaia no Yoake" as a story of how Japanese tradition saved the world. Convinced that such a day will come, we continue to install dashi into the world one step at a time today.
URL: https://magidashi.com/
"April Dream" is a PR TIMES project where companies share the dreams they are seriously committed to achieving, rather than simply telling lies on April 1st.