Our Story

Our Social Mission

We’re on a mission to improve wellbeing for all. It’s no small dream, we want to do all we can to make life that bit better for people and communities worldwide! We’re proud to work with organisations today that align with the principles of our Japanese founder, the scientist Dr Shirota. Here are just a few!

Love Your Gut

This national campaign has been raising awareness of the importance of gut health for a whopping 28 years! Providing expert tips and advice, gut-friendly recipes and exclusive resources – like the Gut Talk Guide or the Digestive Health Self-Assessment.

Yakult run the ‘Love Your Gut’ initiative in association with several gut health organisations including; Guts UK and The Primary Care Society for Gastroenterology (PCSG) and (in Ireland) – Irish General Practice Nurses Educational Association (IGPNEA)

Check it out

Creating the Yakult forest with Treedom

We’ve partnered with Treedom to plant 10,000 trees! A global platform, Treedom have been planting trees and forests worldwide with the aim of making the planet greener and fairer. So far, they’ve planted almost 3 million trees with the support of over 100,000 farmers across 17 countries, including Kenya, Colombia, Guatemala, and Cameroon. And we’re proud to be playing our part too!

Find Out More About Treedom

Our Social Pioneers

In 1963, Dr Shirota set up the pioneering Yakult Ladies scheme – providing both unique employment opportunities for women and a daily door-to-door delivery network for our little bottles. Today, we have over 80,000 Yakult Ladies worldwide – visiting our customers and helping drive our mission every day.

The scheme is so much more than getting bottles to doors. Our Yakult Ladies are fundamental to everyday life. As of 2020, they visit over 37,000 older people living alone in Japan and even participate in crime prevention watches in cooperation with local police and government departments – helping ensure communities are safe and secure.

Watch Yuki's story

Our Local Community

Shining a light on sports nutrition

As big fans of science, we know the major role nutrition plays in sport. In fact, we’ve worked with many sports associations on this very area - including football, rugby, swimming and cycling clubs both in the UK and Ireland. As a brand, we believe in happiness and wellbeing for all. We’re proud to partner with organisations today that recognise the importance of a balanced diet and lifestyle and the role of gut health in supporting overall wellbeing.

Micropia Museum

It’s no surprise that we love educational sciences. That’s why we support Micropia, the only museum of its kind for microorganisms. Located in Amsterdam, this place reveals the invisible world of microscopic life. Want to visit for free? Drop us a line at info@yakult.co.uk and we’ll sort that out (subject to availability).

Find out more

Supporting the Sainsbury Institute

Japanese culture is a huge part of our brand identity. So, we’re delighted to support the Third Lecture Series – a monthly lecture event run by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. Now in their second decade, the Institute leads the study of Japanese arts and cultures from past to present in the UK, Europe and worldwide.