High School Students' Idea Receives High Praise from Management; Winning Team 'No Side' Exchanges Opinions with Mizkan on Proposed Product 'Saku-mame'

Mizkan Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Handa, Aichi Prefecture; President and CEO: Ryoji Maki; hereinafter: Mizkan) welcomed the winning team 'No Side' from the '12th Mynavi Career Koshien,' a business idea contest for high school students organized by Mynavi Corporation, to its Tokyo head office on Monday, April 27, 2026. The team gave their winning presentation and exchanged opinions with management and the natto business team.

On the day, the management gave high praise to the presentation, which was delivered in a tense atmosphere. Furthermore, a tasting of four prototypes, created by the natto business's development and technology members based on the proposed product 'Saku-mame,' was conducted. The high school students showed strong interest in the prototypes, actively asking questions in a cross-generational and cross-positional exchange of opinions.

Event Scenes

Group photo (from left: Sato, Sugimoto, Kurakata, Yasuda, Koizumi, Maki) Presentation scene (from left: Koizumi, Yasuda, Kurakata)

Management review scene (from left: Sato, Maki, Sugimoto) Prototype tasting scene (from left: Kurakata, Yasuda, Koizumi)

*Titles and honorifics omitted

Event Overview

Date and Time: April 27 (Monday), 17:00-18:30

Location: Mizkan Tokyo Head Office

Participants: <Team 'No Side' Members>

Yasuda-san (Rugby School Japan)

Koizumi-san (Waseda High School)

Kurakata-san (Waseda High School)

<Mizkan Management>

Ryoji Maki, President and CEO, Mizkan Holdings Co., Ltd.

Takeshi Sato, Executive Vice President and COO, Mizkan Holdings Co., Ltd.

Tasuhisa Sugimoto, President, Mizkan Partners Co., Ltd.

Program: Part 1 (17:00-17:30) Winning presentation by 'No Side', review by management

Part 2 (17:30-18:30) Opinion exchange with natto business members, 'Saku-mame' prototype tasting

Mizkan Management Comments

The presentation was held in a tense yet relaxed atmosphere, with management nodding and smiling as they listened, occasionally taking notes enthusiastically.

The following comments were made about the overall presentation:

'The high school students' presentation was outstanding, and I felt great potential in their perspective and creativity.'

Interest was also shown in the proposal's potential for expansion:

'I think it's a great product and business model to serve as a hook for expanding Mizkan globally.'

Specific comments were also made about the product's appeal:

'The 'crispy' texture is familiar to consumers in Asia, including Japan, and I believe it's an element that contributes to the product's charm. I thought it was a very good idea.'

Furthermore, the problem setting behind the idea was also impressive:

'The way they framed the issue of 'new-type malnutrition' from their own high school student perspective and even considered how to communicate it as a personal matter showed great potential.'

Finally, a comment reflecting on the day's impression was heard:

'It was extremely interesting, and I listened intently, taking many notes.'

'No Side' Team Member Comments

The members first expressed their sincere joy about the opportunity:

'I was originally interested in 'food' and chose Mizkan's theme. While thinking about the business idea, I felt that natto still has various possibilities, which led to the idea of 'Saku-mame.' I am very happy that the executives at Mizkan listened to our presentation directly.'

They also spoke about their thoughts on the proposal:

''Saku-mame' is a product that has not yet been sold, but it is an idea that we ourselves are very attached to. We are very much looking forward to seeing how many people will be pleased if it actually comes out into the world.'

On the other hand, they also spoke frankly about their current understanding:

'At this point, there are parts where we alone cannot concretely grasp the market potential or scale.'

Amidst that, their expectations for this dialogue are also palpable:

'We would be happy if we could explore a better form of 'Saku-mame' with the help of everyone at Mizkan.'

There were also impressive comments about the day's experience:

'Being able to feel our ideas taking shape was a very valuable experience.'

They also touched upon discoveries made through the tasting:

'We also conducted interview surveys, but there are still parts we don't know about what kind of taste of 'Saku-mame' would be preferred by more people, so we are very curious.'

A positive attitude towards the future is also visible:

'In the future, I...'