JFE Shoji Trade and JFE Shoji Service invited students from Tokyo Metropolitan Adachi Special Needs School to participate in practical sales of bread over a total of six days (six times) as an initiative for fiscal 2023.
This activity started in 2021, when we visited the school and learned of a local bread sales event, and proposed the idea of in-house bread sales as a part of the students' social studies training. The event has become so popular that there is a line of people waiting in line before the start of each sale, and on some days the sales are almost sold out within 30 minutes of the start.
On the day of the sale, students are in charge of all aspects of the sales process, from bringing in the bread to displaying it, sterilizing the trays, and working the cash register. Employees who purchased bread were asked to fill out a questionnaire to request "bread they would like to try," and in fact, new types of bread were added to the lineup each time the sales event was held. In the past, there were many requests for additional side dish breads since there were many types of sweet breads, so this year, chikuwa bread and curry tuna corn were newly added to the menu, making the lineup even richer.
By holding bread sales more than once a year, the students' desire to make new breads and to improve their baking skills has taken shape, and the variety and number of breads offered has gradually increased. JFE Shoji Group will continue its social contribution activities by providing opportunities for students to gain work experience.