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ASC Fine Wines celebrates 125 years of Suntory

08 March 2024 By Eloise Feilden

ASC Fine Wines, China’s leading wine importer and distributor, has marked parent group Suntory’s 125th anniversary with a series of staff events.

ASC Fine Wines joined in the commemoration of Suntory Group’s 125th anniversary last month, as the group designated February as ‘Suntory Philosophy Month’.

In February, the entire ASC team participated in the diverse activities to engage with Suntory Group’s Corporate Philosophy, under the theme of ‘What Makes Life Brilliant’.

During the month-long celebration at ASC, each department participated in an e-Learning programme aimed at reflecting on the company’s history, purpose and corporate values. These values include Growing for Good, Yatte Minahare (a Japanese phrase often translated as “Go for it”), and Giving Back to Society.

In addition to the e-Learning programme, Suntory China Holding and ASC came together to create an immersive tasting series including a ‘Taste of the Founders’ event and ‘Taste and See How Brilliant They Are’, showcasing products in the portfolio including Tomi no Oka wine and Kakubin Whisky.

As an extension of the celebration, Suntory and ASC have planned to host the ‘Mizuiku Workshop’ initiative for team members in March, in which all the nations will celebrate the World Water Day, an annual UN observance focusing on the importance of fresh water.

The workshop is designed to provide employees with updates on the Mizuiku programme’s progress in China and to encourage their active involvement as volunteer assistants to Mizuiku teachers.

Mizuiku is a programme developed by Suntory 20 years ago that focuses on educating children about the importance of water conservation and environmental stewardship. By involving employees as volunteer assistants to Mizuiku teachers, the company aims to extend the reach and impact of the programme, fostering a sense of corporate responsibility for community engagement among our workforce. In partnership with sustainability experts from the Shanghai Volunteer Association and Malt Space, the workshop is promised to provide insights and training to employees on how they can effectively support Mizuiku initiatives and contribute to the company’s water sustainability efforts in China.

Makoto Nagae, CEO of ASC Fine Wines, said of the anniversary celebrations: “Through Suntory Philosophy Month, we in ASC reaffirm our commitment to inspiring the brilliance of life and delivering exceptional experiences to our customers and communities. Our dedication for the corporate purpose and values is not just for February. The purpose and values are not slogans on the walls of the meeting rooms. We are determined to live them out in our daily work and life. As individuals we are always looking for ways to take better care of our colleagues, consumers, customers, partners, environment and grow together. And as a business, we are always looking to touch more lives and fulfil our purpose with our great wines and extraordinary service: To inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature.”

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