Children's Salad Onions Bring Children's Smiles: Sales Proceeds Used for School Equipment at Tsunagi Elementary
Shokubunka Co., Ltd. collaborates with Tsunagi Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, on career education through support for selling salad onions grown by elementary school students. In May 2026, sales proceeds were used to purchase school supplies.
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- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 00:40
- 🔍 Collected: May 19, 2026 at 16:01
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 20, 2026 at 08:10 (16h 8m after Collected)
Shokubunka Co., Ltd. (Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Akifumi Hagiwara), a company primarily engaged in online food sales, is supporting the sales of 'Tsunagi Salad Onions' grown by students at Tsunagi Elementary School as part of a 'Marketing Learning through Children's Agriculture' project in partnership with Tsunagi Town, Kumamoto Prefecture.
In this initiative, students experience not only the cultivation and harvesting of salad onions, but also the creation of e-commerce product pages, email newsletters, box making, and shipping operations. Furthermore, in May 2026, the children themselves decided how to use the proceeds from these sales, choosing to purchase items such as card games to make their school life more enjoyable.
By experiencing the entire process of 'creating,' 'communicating,' 'selling,' 'delivering,' and 'deciding on the use of proceeds,' the project provides practical career education using local agricultural products.
1. About the Tsunagi Elementary School 'Salad Onion' Initiative
In Tsunagi Town, with the cooperation of the JA Ashikita Tsunagi Youth League, students at Tsunagi Elementary School have been growing salad onions for the purpose of effectively utilizing abandoned farmland and promoting food, agricultural, and environmental education through agricultural experience. It is an initiative where children learn the difficulty and joy of 'creating' things, guided by local adults using local farmland.
Originally utilized for school lunches and donations to schools in disaster-stricken areas, the start of sales on the e-commerce site operated by Shokubunka Co., Ltd. was triggered by the loss of sales channels due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From there, it has expanded into learning closer to real business, such as product page creation, sales, shipping, and enclosing letters to customers, going beyond simple agricultural experience.
2. Returning Proceeds to School Life
This time, the children used the proceeds from the sales of 'salad onions' to purchase card games and other items. Proceeds from products they grew themselves, thought about the appeal of, expressed in words, and delivered to customers nationwide are returned to the children themselves to make their school life more enjoyable. By seeing the tangible results of their sales activities, children can learn about 'working,' 'selling,' and 'thinking about how to use money' with a greater sense of reality.
The purchased card games and other items also serve as catalysts for exchange among students and communication across different grades. It is a major appeal of this initiative that proceeds born from local agricultural products lead to the children's smiles and the enjoyment of school life.
3. The Role of Shokubunka Co., Ltd.
Shokubunka Co., Ltd. has delivered the appeal of local food to customers nationwide through the operation of e-commerce sites such as Toyosu Market Dot Com and Umaimon Dot Com. In this initiative, the company contributes to creating a place of learning using local products not only by selling products, but also by creating opportunities for children to convey the appeal of their products in their own words and connect with customers. Creating product pages and email newsletters leads to learning about marketing and expression by thinking about 'what words will reach customers' and 'what the appeal of these onions is.'
In addition, Shokubunka Co., Ltd. established the regional trading company 'Tsunagi Tsukuru Co., Ltd.' in August 2024 through joint investment with Tsunagi Town and the Tsunagi Town Chamber of Commerce. Tsunagi Tsukuru was established to utilize the local resources and special products of Tsunagi Town to work on regional economic revitalization and creating local buzz.
Shokubunka Co., Ltd. contributes to the development of Tsunagi Town by not only selling and promoting local products but also by being continuously involved in the region and supporting children's learning and the challenges of local businesses.
4. Future Outlook
Shokubunka Co., Ltd. values initiatives that make regions vibrant, in addition to selling, producing, and branding local products. Many of the products handled by Shokubunka are born from the efforts of production areas and producers across Japan. That is why they want to convey not just selling products, but also the nature and culture of the region, the thoughts of the producers, and even the learning of the children growing up in the region to customers.
Under the corporate philosophy of 'Energizing and making people happy through the power of food,' the company aims to connect producers, distributors, and consumers in Japan and contribute to the industrial promotion of each region. They will continue to advance initiatives that make regions vibrant through food while walking together with local communities.
They will continue to develop the Tsunagi Elementary School 'Salad Onion' activity as an initiative that allows children to experience joy and learning beyond sales, not just 'making and done' or 'selling and done.'
In this initiative, students experience not only the cultivation and harvesting of salad onions, but also the creation of e-commerce product pages, email newsletters, box making, and shipping operations. Furthermore, in May 2026, the children themselves decided how to use the proceeds from these sales, choosing to purchase items such as card games to make their school life more enjoyable.
By experiencing the entire process of 'creating,' 'communicating,' 'selling,' 'delivering,' and 'deciding on the use of proceeds,' the project provides practical career education using local agricultural products.
1. About the Tsunagi Elementary School 'Salad Onion' Initiative
In Tsunagi Town, with the cooperation of the JA Ashikita Tsunagi Youth League, students at Tsunagi Elementary School have been growing salad onions for the purpose of effectively utilizing abandoned farmland and promoting food, agricultural, and environmental education through agricultural experience. It is an initiative where children learn the difficulty and joy of 'creating' things, guided by local adults using local farmland.
Originally utilized for school lunches and donations to schools in disaster-stricken areas, the start of sales on the e-commerce site operated by Shokubunka Co., Ltd. was triggered by the loss of sales channels due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From there, it has expanded into learning closer to real business, such as product page creation, sales, shipping, and enclosing letters to customers, going beyond simple agricultural experience.
2. Returning Proceeds to School Life
This time, the children used the proceeds from the sales of 'salad onions' to purchase card games and other items. Proceeds from products they grew themselves, thought about the appeal of, expressed in words, and delivered to customers nationwide are returned to the children themselves to make their school life more enjoyable. By seeing the tangible results of their sales activities, children can learn about 'working,' 'selling,' and 'thinking about how to use money' with a greater sense of reality.
The purchased card games and other items also serve as catalysts for exchange among students and communication across different grades. It is a major appeal of this initiative that proceeds born from local agricultural products lead to the children's smiles and the enjoyment of school life.
3. The Role of Shokubunka Co., Ltd.
Shokubunka Co., Ltd. has delivered the appeal of local food to customers nationwide through the operation of e-commerce sites such as Toyosu Market Dot Com and Umaimon Dot Com. In this initiative, the company contributes to creating a place of learning using local products not only by selling products, but also by creating opportunities for children to convey the appeal of their products in their own words and connect with customers. Creating product pages and email newsletters leads to learning about marketing and expression by thinking about 'what words will reach customers' and 'what the appeal of these onions is.'
In addition, Shokubunka Co., Ltd. established the regional trading company 'Tsunagi Tsukuru Co., Ltd.' in August 2024 through joint investment with Tsunagi Town and the Tsunagi Town Chamber of Commerce. Tsunagi Tsukuru was established to utilize the local resources and special products of Tsunagi Town to work on regional economic revitalization and creating local buzz.
Shokubunka Co., Ltd. contributes to the development of Tsunagi Town by not only selling and promoting local products but also by being continuously involved in the region and supporting children's learning and the challenges of local businesses.
4. Future Outlook
Shokubunka Co., Ltd. values initiatives that make regions vibrant, in addition to selling, producing, and branding local products. Many of the products handled by Shokubunka are born from the efforts of production areas and producers across Japan. That is why they want to convey not just selling products, but also the nature and culture of the region, the thoughts of the producers, and even the learning of the children growing up in the region to customers.
Under the corporate philosophy of 'Energizing and making people happy through the power of food,' the company aims to connect producers, distributors, and consumers in Japan and contribute to the industrial promotion of each region. They will continue to advance initiatives that make regions vibrant through food while walking together with local communities.
They will continue to develop the Tsunagi Elementary School 'Salad Onion' activity as an initiative that allows children to experience joy and learning beyond sales, not just 'making and done' or 'selling and done.'
FAQ
How do elementary school students sell salad onions?
Students utilize e-commerce platforms operated by Shokubunka, experiencing everything from creating product pages to packing and shipping.
How long has this project been running?
The start date is not explicitly mentioned, but Tsunagi Tsukuru was established in August 2024, and sales proceeds were utilized in May 2026.
What are the learning benefits of this initiative?
It allows students to learn the basics of marketing and the value of their region through real-world experiences of working, selling, and managing proceeds.