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FC Barcelona and ZENB, part of Mizkan Holdings Co., Ltd., have reached an agreement for the global food brand to become the first Official Gluten Free Food Partner of the Club until June 2026. As a Regional Partner, ZENB and Barça will collaborate on joint actions across Japan, USA and UK.
The agreement was officially signed in the Spotify Camp Nou Box by Juli Guiu, FC Barcelona Marketing Area vice-president, and Nobuhisa Hamana, ZENB Global CEO. The president of the Catalan club, Joan Laporta, also wished to greet the ZENB delegation as part the event, which also included an exchange of gifts, with the ZENB CEO receiving an FC Barcelona jersey and a commemorative carving recalling Barcelona skyline. As the Club’s Official Gluten Free Food Partner, Barça and ZENB will co-produce content concentrating on the first team’s eating habits with a strong focus on the creation of digital content published on the Club’s social media channels to reach & engage with Barça fans.
FC Barcelona have both a significant following and knowledge in the three countries where the activities with ZENB will take place. The United Kingdom has a rich footballing tradition, while the Club currently has five and eight Barça Academies in Japan and the United States of America respectively.
Barça have had a solid track record in Japan with the Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Katsushika, Nara and Yokohama Academies, which have taught the Barça style and methodology to over 1500 children. Similarly, around 1500 young people have participated in Barça Academy Camps, which take place during the different public holiday periods in Japan throughout the year. The Club also has a significant presence in the United States, with eight projects, including two Barça Academy PROs in New York and Miami (100% Club-owned), a Barça Residency Academy in Arizona, and five Barça Academies, one of which is in Chicago, the location of the ZENB head office in USA.
Juli Guiu, FC Barcelona Marketing Area vice-president, said, “We are very happy to begin this partnership with ZENB, a leading company in the gluten free foods sector with a solid history and tradition of over 200 years. A company that is opening up new markets, building on its success in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Japan, with whom we will collaborate to inform our fans about new dietary options”.
Nobuhisa Hamana, Global CEO of ZENB, said, “At ZENB, we feel a responsibility to develop plant-powered foods, such as pasta that benefit people and those mindful of the planet, and part of that is having a deep understanding of their health value and functionality.”
