Daikokuya Foods Co., Ltd.

Daikokuya Foods Co., Ltd. (大黒屋食品株式会社) is a Japanese food manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima, specializing in seafood delicacies (chinmi) and processed meat products. The company traces its origins to February 1949, when it was founded as a delicacy retail business under the name Daikokuya; it was incorporated as Daikokuya Foods Co., Ltd. in February 1962. Its head office and main production plant have been located in the Kōgo area of Nishi-ku, Hiroshima since 1967. The company's product range centers on dried and seasoned seafood snacks — squid, small fish, seaweed, and related items — as well as processed meat snacks. Its best-known product is senjiniiku (せんじ肉), a Hiroshima regional specialty consisting of fried pork offal, historically eaten as a snack to stave off hunger and now widely enjoyed as an accompaniment to alcohol. Daikokuya Foods sells senjiniiku in several flavors, including spicy, sandazuri (gizzard), hatsu salt, pork belly with black pepper, chili, and garlic, typically in 40-gram packs. Other major lines include atarime dried squid, soft sakiika, seasoned kelp, smoked salami and calpas, beef jerky, and collaborations such as Hiroshima Carp-branded fried squid snacks. The company's main sales channels are convenience stores, large-volume retailers, supermarkets, discount stores, and department stores. It has long supplied products to the convenience store chain Poplar, which originated from Daikokuya Foods itself. As Poplar's store network shrank and some stores shifted to joint operations with Lawson, Daikokuya Foods' business with Poplar declined, and the company expanded dealings with other retailers, establishing itself as one of western Japan's leading delicacy snack makers. On September 22, 2021, Poplar announced it would transfer all shares of Daikokuya Foods to Maruka Foods Co., Ltd., a company headquartered in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, for 250 million yen, effective October 8, 2021. Daikokuya Foods thus became a wholly owned subsidiary of Maruka Foods and left the Poplar Group. The company has stated that it would not change its trade name or its representative director following the acquisition. Its representative director and president is Shinichi Kataoka. The company's stated aim is to be the leading delicacy company in its region and to contribute to a richer food culture.

Daikokuya Foods traces its beginnings to February 1949, when the business was founded as Daikokuya, a delicacy (chinmi) retail operation. In October 1953, a delicacy manufacturing and processing plant was opened in Mikawa-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima. In February 1962, the business was reorganized into a corporation under the name Daikokuya Foods Co., Ltd. In February 1967, the head office and manufacturing plant were relocated to their current site in Kōgo, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima. The head office plant was newly built in February 1987. In February 1993, a Kyushu sales office was opened in Kitakyushu, and in June 2004 it was relocated to Fukuoka. In October 2005, a Kanto product depot was opened in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture. Daikokuya Foods is also known as the company from which the convenience store chain Poplar originated. For many years it supplied products to Poplar. However, as Poplar converted some stores to joint operations with Lawson, reduced its store count, and increased the proportion of in-facility stores that did not carry delicacy snacks, Daikokuya Foods' transactions with Poplar declined. The company increasingly traded with other businesses and established itself as one of western Japan's leading delicacy manufacturers. On September 22, 2021, Poplar announced that, in order to rebuild its convenience store business, it would transfer all shares of Daikokuya Foods to Maruka Foods Co., Ltd., headquartered in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, for 250 million yen, effective October 8, 2021. With the share transfer, Daikokuya Foods became a wholly owned subsidiary of Maruka Foods and simultaneously left the Poplar Group. The company stated that it would not change its trade name or its representative director after joining Maruka Foods. Maruka Foods is known for products such as Ika-ten Setouchi Lemon flavor. Daikokuya Foods continues to operate under its own brand, producing and selling seafood delicacies and processed meat products, with Shinichi Kataoka as representative director and president.

• Founded as Daikokuya, a delicacy retail business.

• Opened a delicacy manufacturing and processing plant in Mikawa-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima.

• Incorporated as Daikokuya Foods Co., Ltd.

• Relocated head office and manufacturing plant to current site in Kōgo, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima.

• Newly built the head office manufacturing plant.

• Opened Kyushu sales office in Kitakyushu.

• Relocated Kyushu sales office to Fukuoka.

• Opened Kanto product depot in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture.

• Renewed official website.

• Poplar announced transfer of all Daikokuya Foods shares to Maruka Foods for 250 million yen.

• Became a wholly owned subsidiary of Maruka Foods and left the Poplar Group.

Regional delicacy snack maker aiming to be the leading chinmi company in its area, supplying convenience stores, supermarkets, discounters, and department stores.

• Senjiniiku (fried pork offal)

  Hiroshima regional specialty snack of fried pork offal, sold in flavors such as spicy, gizzard, heart salt, pork belly black pepper, chili, and garlic, typically in 40g packs.

• Atarime dried squid

  Dried squid snack, 35g pack.

• Soft sakiika

  Soft shredded squid snack.

• Seasoned kelp (kombu)

  Seasoned kelp snack, 70g pack, also in plum-shiso flavor.

• Smoked calpas and sliced salami

  Processed meat snacks including smoked calpas, sliced salami, and black pepper salami.

• Beef jerky

  Extra-thick beef jerky.

• Hiroshima Carp collaboration fried squid snacks

  Collaboration snacks with the Hiroshima Carp baseball team, including Setouchi lemon ika-ten.

1. 1大黒屋食品株式会社｜地域一番の珍味会社をめざし、人々のより豊かな食文化に貢献いたします。daikokuya-hr.co.jp
2. 2会社概要 | 大黒屋食品株式会社daikokuya-hr.co.jp
3. 3商品情報 | 大黒屋食品株式会社daikokuya-hr.co.jp
4. 4Daikokuya Foods - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5大黒屋食品 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org