In keeping with our commitment to the consistent flavor and safety of every next cup of coffee, we at UCC are absolutely uncompromising when it comes to quality.

In accordance with our stringent, independent standards of quality, we constantly scrutinize every stage and process, from the plantation to the cup. Not content to rely solely on certification in the country of origin as to the quality of green coffee beans (unroasted beans), we permit use of only supplies that meet our own UCC standards, which contain detailed stipulations regarding flavor and appearance for each grade in each growing district. In 1984, we became the only Japanese coffee company to set up a subsidiary in Brazil, the world's largest coffee producing country, to examine the quality of green beans before import. After they arrive in Japan, only green beans that pass the tough screening by "classificadors" (coffee appraisers) are shipped to our plants. We are also striving to tighten safety assurance through activities such as checks for chemical residue by our Quality Assurance Division.

Equally rigorous arrangements have been implemented at the production stage. We were the first company in the Japanese coffee industry to obtain certification for all of our plants under ISO 9001, the international standard for quality management systems, and for our main plants under ISO 22000, which covers food safety management systems. Plants manufacturing canned coffee beverages have been certified under the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) program, and turn out only products whose safety has been verified under one of the world's strictest standards for control of quality and hygiene. Moreover, our main plants have obtained certification under ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems, and they are actively working to make their production facilities and processes more environmentally friendly.

Through these meticulous arrangements for quality control in line with the dictates of food-related compliance, we at UCC supply quality, safe and delicious coffee that lives up to the expectations of our customers.