On February 27, 2023, Kobe City and UHEIM Co. Theo, a baumkuchen AI craftsman, was granted a special certificate of residence in Kobe City's Chuo Ward to promote regional development through the promotion of the attractiveness of sweets culture in a wide range of fields.
Click here for the press release on the business collaboration agreement.
https://theo-foodtechers.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/20230227-1.pdf
1Matters related to the promotion of local industry through the promotion of the attractiveness of Kobe's sweets
Promoting Kobe Sweets to Foreign Tourists
We regularly open a food truck at the Kobe Port Terminal to sell THEO's baumkuchen to cruise ship passengers. Our fig jam sandwich baum and caramelized baum, which are made with locally produced Kobe ingredients, have been well received by foreign tourists, and we are promoting the appeal of Kobe sweets to the rest of the world.
2Creation of new value for Kobe sweets through food tech, etc.
Working with Microsoft Corporation
THEO is installed in the Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab KOBE and is being developed in collaboration with Microsoft. We expect that the use of various contents in the cloud will enable the evolution of AI, data utilization, and visualization.
3Matters related to initiatives aimed at a sustainable society
Invention of baumkuchen using local Kobe ingredients
Figs, a specialty of Kobe City, are rich in dietary fiber and minerals, and are characterized by their melting softness and rich sweetness. However, the time between harvesting and ripening is short, and weather conditions can result in sales losses.
Therefore, figs that were actually lost for sale were processed into jam, applied to a layer of baumkuchen, and baked to upcycle the jam into baumkuchen, taking advantage of the rich sweetness of figs and the texture of the tiny seeds.
He also invented a rice-flour baumkuchen, replacing the wheat flour used in regular THEO baumkuchen with Kobe-grown rice flour.
Both have been sold at food truck stalls and have been well received by customers.
Kobe City HP Products made from Kobe agricultural and marine products
https://www.city.kobe.lg.jp/a67688/kanko/nogyogyo/shouhinshoukai.html
2025年11月15日には神戸市主催の“神戸の食”をテーマにしたイベント「神戸グルメディスカバリー」に参加し、いちじくジャムサンドバウムクーヘンを販売しました。
4Matters related to human resource development through sweets
神戸市内の学生とのお取組み
神戸市立若草小学校
神戸市、神戸市教育委員会・若草小学校と連携し、大阪・関西万博2025での校外学習を活用して、ユーハイムのものづくり及びAIを活用したフードテックの取り組みを学ぶ“ものづくりからの学びプロジェクト”を実施しました。万博会場内に出店した「THEO’S CAFE byユーハイム」にご招待し、焼きたてのバウムクーヘンを体験していただいたほか、神戸のスイーツの歴史の勉強や販売を想定した販促物の作成まで行いました。
神戸市立若草小学校
神戸学院大学経営学部 田中ゼミの学生18名とユーハイムは「THEO(テオ)」のバウムクーヘンを使ったオリジナルメニューを考案しました。学生たちは3グループに分かれ、プロモーションから価格設定まで行い、大学祭にて販売をおこないました。販売後には損益まで計算し、目標達成率を求めたところ全グループ130％を超える結果となりました。
Five students from the Department of Health, Nutrition and Sports at Kobe Women's University and UHEIM devised a new menu based on the concept of a "post-workout rewarding sweet" that can be enjoyed comfortably by tired bodies. In addition to selling the sweets at the school festival, they were also sold to tennis school patrons, where they were well received.
Kobe Women's University
Sixteen students from the Faculty of Medical Nutrition at Konan Women's University and UHEIM devised a new menu combining THEO's baumkuchen and local Kobe ingredients. The students themselves actively engaged in promotional activities and sold the "Nanjo Baum" at the "Yotsuba Festival 2023". Many customers lined up from the time the store opened, and sales exceeded the expected quantity.
Konan Women's University
5Other matters related to regional development in Kobe
Regional Development in Kobe City
こどもたちがバウムクーヘンの歴史、AI と菓子職人の未来を学ぶワークショップを開催しました。
（2024年4月）
THEO's freshly baked baumkuchen were presented to the medical staff of Kobe City Central Municipal Hospital.
（2023年4月）
Baumkuchen for the children of Kobe Jitsugyo Gakuin.
In December, a Christmas party was held to deepen exchanges by making unique baumkuchen with original decorations.
（2023年12月）
