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「Gihey WORKS」Opens in Kyoto City儀兵衛WORKSを京都市にオープン

Type B Continuous Employment Support Facility「Gihey WORKS」Opens in Kyoto City

～Creating Kyoto's food culture and jobs together with people with disabilities～

Quolead Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture; President: Isao Takahashi; hereinafter “Quolead”), which operates disability welfare services, opened its Type B Continuous Employment Support Facility “Gihey WORKS” in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City on February 2, 2026. This facility will operate with the support of Kyoto's long-established rice retailer, Hachidaime Gihey Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City; President: Gibe Hashimoto; hereinafter “Hachidaime Gihey”), which runs a comprehensive rice production business.

Kyoto's food culture has been sustained by certain jobs, and there are individuals with disabilities who possess the desire to work but often lack opportunities. To bridge these two worlds, we opened the Type B Continuous Employment Support Facility “Gihey WORKS.” This facility aims to create not only food-related jobs but also back-of-house employment opportunities involved in the process of delivering heartfelt messages through gifts and presents. We are committed to challenging ourselves to build an environment where individuals with disabilities can continuously engage in work supporting food and gift-giving culture, working with a sense of purpose and pride, and we will continue to innovate.

Background

In recent years, the operating environment surrounding Type B Continuous Employment Support Facilities has become increasingly challenging, with complex issues such as staff shortages, high turnover rates, and rising operational costs becoming apparent. The difficulty in securing and retaining staff with specialized knowledge often results in insufficient support reaching users, frequently impacting the quality of work and the stable operation of the facilities.
Furthermore, due to reductions in public subsidies and challenges with the remuneration system, many facilities face financial instability. This has resulted in lower user retention rates and stagnant wage levels. The low average wage (national average: approximately ¥23,053 per month *FY2023 figures) is considered an obstacle to economic independence and is thought to contribute to social isolation and a decline in quality of life. Maintaining social connections through work, providing flexible support tailored to daily health and circumstances, and returning economic benefits to users are becoming increasingly important themes for the future.

※This image was created using generative AI.

解決

Quolead has operated multiple employment support centers in Shiga and Kyoto.。
“Gihey WORKS” will be a new Type B workplace developed in collaboration with the eighth-generation Gihey.

＜Features＞

1. The extensive back-office operations supporting Hachidaime Gihey sales capabilities and gift business
2. The ability to break down the process of conveying feelings through gifts into smaller steps for task design
3. Flexibility to divide various job types and work processes according to user characteristics
4. Support system for process design and operational assembly provided by the group logistics company

We believe these offer advantages for both staff and users.

＜User Benefits＞

• Work that is easy to undertake according to each individual's characteristics and physical condition
• Selecting and adjusting tasks that are manageable and easy to handle, leading to sustained employment
• A work environment conducive to achieving high wages is in place.

＜Staff Benefits＞

• No sales activities required to secure new business
• The burden of business process development and task design is reduced, making it easier to focus on support.
• Staff members face less burden in learning new tasks, enabling stable operations.

※This image was created using generative AI.

Additionally, in recent years, we have pursued international collaboration with Taiwan and explored synergies with overseas offices, seeking mechanisms to better give back to users, staff, and ultimately the local community.

Future Outlook

The next “Gihey WORKS” facility is scheduled to open in Kyoto City during the summer of 2026.
The collaboration between the eighth-generation Gibe and Quolead through “Gihey WORKS” is just beginning. We plan to gradually expand its possibilities through ongoing dialogue and practical efforts, exploring how food-related work can be established as sustainable employment within the disability welfare field.
We will deepen collaboration with local communities and businesses to expand opportunities for people with disabilities to work with pride as valued members of society. Focusing on solving challenges in disability welfare, we aim to enhance the vitality of society as a whole.