Children's Cafeteria Becomes the Frontline of 'Entrepreneurship Education'! [Sold Out] Children in Edogawa Ward Sold 1,000 Items with Their Small Hands: The Full Story of Failure and Growth Engraved in a 7,000-Character Presentation Script

From decorating the presentation venue, structuring the presentation, assigning roles, writing the script, to even requesting quotes from factories and making cold calls to the media. Without waiting for adult 'instructions', the children sold out 1,000 canelés through their own 'will'. This is the 'true sovereignty education' that amazed and moved the 18 NBC business owners.

The Birth of 'Self-Reliant Education' That Overturns the Concept of Children's Cafeterias

Based in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, the NPO Lion Heart (Chairman: Nobuyuki Oikawa) provides a safe haven for anyone. Their facility, the '365-day, 24-hour emergency-response children's cafeteria Nukunuku', goes beyond traditional meal provision ('food support'). With cooperation from SHARE EAT Inc. (CEO: Reina Fukuda), they have focused on 'early entrepreneurship education' to cultivate children's ability to survive in society.

As a culmination of this effort, on April 26, 2026, at the 'Children's Cafeteria Nukunuku', they planned the成果発表会 event 'Kids Nukumori Cafe' for their original canelé 'Kanukunukure', which was planned, developed, sold, and publicized by the children themselves. They invited member business owners from the NBC Junior Committee.

At this event, 12 elementary, junior high, and high school students, holding a total of 7,000-character presentation scripts they wrote themselves, confidently presented the harshness and joy of business in front of 18 active business owners. Afterwards, they sold out the remaining 110 items on the spot. Their appearance was not that of 'children' as objects of welfare, but of 'partners' creating the future.

This project is not a mere job experience. It is a 'real entrepreneurship education' where the children themselves proactively conducted market research, product planning, prototyping, cost calculation, factory selection, sales strategy, and public relations activities.

A 3-Year Journey: The Documentary of Children Becoming 'Real Business Owners'

Market Research and Persona Setting: Going to Shibuya to Collect Data It all started with a simple question: 'What sweets are popular?' The children went to a department store in Shibuya and conducted a pedestrian survey for several hours. They collected raw data such as 'On Sundays, there are many women in their 30s-40s and elderly couples' and 'Foreigners choose Japanese sweets as souvenirs, but Japanese people are attracted to baked goods.' Based on this, they narrowed their target to 'women in their 20s-40s' and decided on 'canelé' as their product, which is easy to take home and versatile for customization.

'Canelé Faction vs. Jelly Faction': A Tearful Conflict and Consensus Building During the product decision process, opinions clashed head-on. Some said, 'Jelly is popular among young people,' while others said, 'Canelé has a sense of luxury and versatility.' From 8th graders to 4th graders, they discussed as equals, sometimes shedding tears, but ultimately questioned 'what can best express the value (warmth) we want to convey' and finally decided on canelé with everyone's agreement.

Developing the Canelé After a Total of 7 Prototypes Initially, they faced issues with undercooking and color failures, but through competitive analysis, they established uniqueness by adopting 'coconut fines'. Even during the transition to factory production, they did not compromise, digitizing the recipe and measuring precisely. Through comparative tasting of 3 patterns, they derived a sweetness level of 'plus 15%'.

'Factory Selection' and 'Cost Calculation': The Harsh Process of Learning the Weight of 1 Yen For manufacturing, the children themselves searched for partners who could realize their ideals. They set three conditions: 'What is the minimum lot size?', 'What is the delivery time?', and 'What is the cost?' From several candidates, they selected a factory in Osaka. They struggled with cost calculation down to the last yen, repeatedly using calculators to find the balance between 'their own profit' and 'a price customers can easily afford'.

Challenging the 'Real Thing': Cold Calls, PR, and Sales

Cold Calls and PR: Calling the Media with Trembling Hands The children in charge of PR not only created press releases but also challenged themselves to make 'direct cold calls' to newspapers and TV stations. Despite the anxiety of 'what if they refuse?', they held the receiver with the sole desire to 'let people know about our activities' and negotiated on their own, asking, 'Can I send you the release?'

[Sales Strategy] Marketing Adapted to the Venue, Learned at 'SusHi Tech Tokyo' and 'Marui' Over a total of 5 days at SusHi Tech Tokyo (Tokyo Big Sight) and Marui Shinjuku store, they practiced flexible sales tailored to the location. At the event venue, they made lively calls to attract customers; at the department store, they thoroughly observed manners while creating a 'space to be chosen' with gorgeous decorations. Rather than just selling, they emphasized a PR perspective of conveying the 'story' through development secrets and heartfelt words. By running a fast PDCA cycle, reflecting after each customer interaction, they achieved a complete sell-out every day and gained a sense that their feelings had reached society.

The成果発表会 'Kids Nukumori Cafe' Created by the Children

Planning and scriptwriting began one month before the event, with a rehearsal the day before. On the event day, April 26, the venue 'Nukunuku' was transformed into an 'exciting place of business', decorated by the children with poster paper, handwritten price tags, POPs, paper chains made from origami, and flowers. Furthermore, the children themselves managed the event's progress. They proactively handled everything from business card exchanges with the business owners, to the presentation, tasting session, and sales event.

Time Content Details 10:00 Children gather Product decoration, rehearsal 12:00 Business owners enter Starting with 'business card exchange' using the children's self-made cards 12:30 Snack time Hospitality with a special 'Chinese bowl' made by mothers 13:30 Part 1: Presentation Presentation of development story based on the children's own 7,000-character script 14:00 Tasting & Part 2 Tasting of canelés, presentation of sales strategy and future outlook 14:30 Comments & Sales event Sharp evaluations by business owners, direct sales of canelés 15:55 Photo session & Awards Photo session and awards 16:00 End Cleanup, children's reflection

The Impressive '7,000-Character Presentation': Excerpts of the Children's Own Words (Partial)

In the presentation to the NBC member business owners, the children, divided into 8 parts, spoke passionately about their respective areas of expertise using scripts they had written in their 'own words'.