Corporate gifts in the SDGs era | Raise your brand strength with food gifts

SDGs efforts are changing corporate gift selection

Souvenirs for business partners, shareholder benefits, anniversary commemorative items. There are many occasions each year when a company givesGift. Recently, however, a growing number of staff feel "somehow uneasy" about continuing to choose the conventional standard gifts as they are.

Behind this is the rising social interest in the SDGs and sustainability. We have entered an era where a company's stance is reflected even in a single gift. This article summarizes how to choose food gifts with the SDGs in mind, and concrete measures for actually enhancing brand value.

Why an SDGs perspective is required in corporate gifts

Now that roughly 90% of listed companies issue sustainability reports, gift selection too has come to be seen as part of CSR and ESG. If you give a business partner an over-packaged gift, there is even a risk of being taken as "this company has low environmental awareness."

Conversely, choosing a gift that considers the SDGs itself becomes a subtle message. There are in fact many cases where it is received favorably, as in "So your company values these kinds of principles."

Three backgrounds behind the attention on sustainable gifts

Why sustainable food gifts are chosen

Gifts span a wide range of genres, but "food" is a category especially compatible with sustainability.

The strength of food gifts: practicality that causes no trouble to receive

The outcome most to be avoided in corporate gifts is "I received it but don't use it." Stationery and tumblers are easily split by preference, and it is not unusual for them to lie asleep in a desk drawer.

Because food gifts are consumables, the burden on the recipient is light. In particular, long-keeping dried foods and tea have little pressure of worrying about a best-before date, and are a genre that people readily feel "grateful" for.

Appeal points of food × SDGs

Why dried-vegetable gifts are "suited to the SDGs"

Dried vegetables are an ingredient drawing attention as a food-loss measure. Whereas about 15–20% of fresh vegetables are discarded at the distribution stage, drying them lets them keep for six months to over a year at room temperature. Vegetables of off-grade shape or size can also be turned into products without problem once cut and dried.

At Agriture, we dry vegetables sourced directly from contract farms near Kyoto, combining support for regional agriculture with reduction of food loss. Gifts with such a story naturally convey their value to the recipient as well.

Five criteria to keep in mind when selecting gifts

Even if you think "I want to choose a sustainable gift," you are likely unsure what specifically to check. Keeping the following five criteria in mind will make the selection go smoothly.

Criterion 1: Is the procurement background of the raw materials clear?

Choose products where traceability is ensured—the production area, farming method, the labor environment of the supplier, and so on. Beyond labels such as "domestic" and "organic," products where you can see the producer's face have higher trustworthiness.

Criterion 2: The environmental burden of the packaging material

Criterion 3: Best-before date and disposal risk

A gift with a short best-before date may not be finished by the recipient and end up discarded. This makes it a gift that generates food loss. Choosing foods with a best-before date of six months or more is safe.

Recommendations by corporate gift use scene

We look at how to choose according to concrete scenes.

Souvenirs for business partners, mid-year and year-end gifts

The most frequent gift scene of the year. So they can be handed out at the recipient's office, individually wrapped dried-vegetable soups and dried-vegetable chips are well received. Making it an original package with the company name also leads to brand awareness.

Shareholder benefits, anniversary commemorative items

The ideal is a gift that lets shareholders feel "this company is serious about social contribution." Enclosing a leaflet with a production-area story in a dried-vegetable gift set can naturally showcase the company's SDGs activities.

Welfare gifts for employees

In the context of health management, some companies have begun distributing dried-vegetable sets to employees. The message "we want you to eat vegetables more easily" is readily accepted as a welfare benefit too.

We have materials available to help you understand vegetable-based novelties

Agriture OEM, flexibly handling everything from small lots to large lots

• SDGs-friendly products using non-standard vegetables
• Delivery possible in as short as two weeks
• Small-lot support from 50 pouches

Download the materials here

How to make an original gift: an OEM utilization guide

Giving a ready-made product is fine, but making your own original gift enhances brand value even further.

The basic flow of OEM

The whole thing is a guide of 2–3 months. For anniversaries and the like, starting to move six months ahead lets you prepare with room to spare.

The advantage of being able to start from a small lot

At Agriture, we accommodate the manufacture of original gifts from lots of 100. Being able to meet flexible requests such as "I want to try a small quantity first" or "I want to make a different set for each department" is a strength unique to a small- and medium-scale dried-vegetable manufacturer.

Points for packages with the company name and logo

When putting a logo on the gift packaging, the size and placement call for taste. If the logo stands out too much, it is shunned as "advertising-like," and if it is too small, it is unclear who the gift is from. A design that places the logo at about 10–15% of the package area and does not get in the way of the product's appeal is preferred.

How to think about cost-effectiveness

The budget spent on gifts differs by company, but the way of thinking about cost-effectiveness is common.

How to choose by price range

Measure ROI by "deepening of the relationship"

Measuring a gift's ROI by direct sales is difficult, but thinking of it by the metric of "deepening of the relationship" is reasonable. If a business partner says, "The gift was what made me learn about your company's SDGs activities," a few-thousand-yen gift may lead to a multi-million-yen deal.

Honestly, giving a cheap ready-made box of sweets and giving an original gift with a story leave completely different impressions.

Using dried vegetables,Food novelties that respond to the SDGsplease feel free to consult us about the planning and manufacturing of.

We have materials available to help you understand vegetable-based novelties

Agriture OEM, flexibly handling everything from small lots to large lots

• SDGs-friendly products using non-standard vegetables
• Delivery possible in as short as two weeks
• Small-lot support from 50 pouches

Download the materials here

Summary

Corporate gift selection in the SDGs era is not mere formality but part of brand communication.

We look back at the points to keep in mind.

• An era where an SDGs perspective is required in corporate gifts too
• Food gifts easily combine practicality and sustainability
• Dried vegetables excel on three points: reducing food loss, long-term storage, and supporting regional agriculture
• Center your selection criteria on "the background of the raw materials," "packaging," and "best-before date"
• Making an original gift via OEM raises brand value a step further

If you want to convey your stance on the SDGs through corporate gifts, please consult Agriture. We support everything from planning to delivery of original gifts using dried vegetables that arrive from contract farms in Kyoto.

FAQ

Recommended reading

Commercial dried vegetables / Drying processing service / Contract processing service / Food OEM Market Trends 2026: A Growth Strategy Seen Through Small-Lot and Domestic-Ingredient Needs / How to choose retirement gifts | A collection of food gift ideas that convey gratitude