- Business
- Yukiguni Factory Co., Ltd. (formerly Yukiguni Maitake Co., Ltd.) manufactures and sells premium mushrooms and processed foods primarily in Japan; its core products include maitake, eringi (king oyster), buna-shimeji, hon-shimeji, and hatake shimeji mushrooms, as well as maitake and eringi rice mixes, aojiru green juice health drinks, and other health foods; the company pioneered large-scale maitake cultivation and holds a leading 57% market share in Japan's maitake segment while ranking as the second-largest mushroom producer overall with about 15% market share across varieties. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture, with additional offices in Tokyo and sales operations in Osaka, Nagoya, Sendai, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, and Fukuoka, it operates production facilities including multiple Bio Centers, Gosen Bio Center, Shiga Package Center, Okayama Bio Center, and Nagawa Plant; subsidiaries comprise Mizuho Norin Co., Ltd. and Yukiguni Maitake Netherlands Holdings B.V., and it functions as a subsidiary of Shinmei Co., Ltd.. In April 2025, the company changed its name from Yukiguni Maitake Co., Ltd. to Yukiguni Factory Co., Ltd. to reflect strategic expansion beyond traditional mushrooms; it is developing innovative mushroom-based meat alternatives such as Mushroom Meat Maid launched in February 2025, alongside sustainable materials like leather substitutes for bags and packaging, aiming to reduce environmental impact and contribute to global health through diversified fungi applications.