In response to questions about the Queer Mingle sponsorship
Published on 16th June 2025
I received some comments on my Instagram post stating concerns about the Queer Mingle that I’m organising on 26th June, which is sponsored by Japanese food company Ajinomoto. I am sharing clarification and a response, following consultation with my client at Ajinomoto and all five event partners.
‘can I just ask if something has changed with Ajinomoto having what I believe to be pretty hefty investments in at least 2 Israeli food companies? I think this has been highlighted by some in the recent past, and once it was brought to their attention, was the reason @besea.n decided to pull out of the sponsorship deal with them for ESEA heritage month last year?’
To confirm:
Ajinomoto previously invested in an Israeli company called Hinoman back in 2017 (source), an investment that was divested around 2022/2023. Concern had been raised to grassoroots ESEA organisation besea.n about Hinoman, who posted pro-Israeli content on their LinkedIn page after the Gaza-Israel conflict began, which prompted besea.n to look further into Ajinomoto’s business relationships. Hinoman has since dissolved.
Ajinomoto still has an ongoing relationship with a privately owned Israeli start-up called SuperMeat (source). This is a R&D partnership to develop cultured meat.
Ajinomoto’s response to the situation in Gaza was announced in February 2024 in the form of a donation of JPY 30 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) (source).
Due to the existing relationship with SuperMeat, besea.n ultimately decided the sponsorship arrangement for ESEA Heritage Month in September 2024 could not continue (source).
I want to state my wholehearted opposition against the genocide of Palestinians perpetuated by the Israeli regime. As part of my active protest, this includes honouring the BDS Movement’s boycott guidelines. These guidelines target businesses and institutions based on complicity with the Israeli regime, rather than identity or ethnicity.
Ajinomoto’s existing business relationship with Supermeat does not contravene the BDS boycott guidelines. While acknowledging the tension of concerns from various members of the ESEA community, I have decided to go ahead with the Queer Mingle, with Ajinomoto’s sponsorship.
For the last seven years I have been organising events in community spaces. Whether meet-ups, supper clubs, bake sales or community feasts, these serve a majority ESEA community and create a safe space for those from marginalised backgrounds to be in the same room. All of those events have been operated out of the organisers’ own pockets and rely on donations from other members of the community. If any funds are raised, we divert them back to community centres or to urgent humanitarian causes.
In these seven years, Ajinomoto is the first corporate entity to approach me and other ESEA-heritage writers, chefs, content creators and organisers to work together. This decision is largely due to the passion and tenacity of my client, who has been asking for more marketing budget to be spent on boosting British ESEA visibility.
The first Ajinomoto-sponsored Queer Mingle took place a year ago at Hackney Chinese (now ESEACC). I know how much that night touched many people’s lives from the ESEA LGBTQIA+ community. Many of them came to the centre for the first time, and are now regular visitors and volunteers.
Having healthy sponsorship means I can direct half the budget to the centre, while taking a project management fee that is reflective of the time and effort that I put into organising. The rest of the budget is spent on paying my event partners fairly. It also means that everyone can attend for free. All the leftover frozen food from last year helped us to make our lunch club provisions stretch well into 2025.
I respect that some people believe boycotting a regime means cutting all ties with any company that has any relationship with an Israeli business. I have used BDS guidelines to help me make this decision to continue working with Ajinomoto. Speaking from my experience as a community organiser, clients like Ajinomoto are far and few between, and I want to find a way to continue working with them in the long term while being transparent with them and with the community about tensions that arise.
I warmly invite all who identify as queer and from the ESEA community to attend the Queer Mingle and meet me and representatives from Ajinomoto.
Finally, I call in all those who are genuinely interested in building a strong, healthy and diverse ESEA community that practices allyship and tolerance while allowing for a multiplicity of identities and beliefs. You can DM, email or find me at the ESEACC on Wednesdays and Fridays, when I am working in the kitchen. You can request my phone number and we can pick up the phone and talk. I welcome all conversations as long as they are respectful, constructive and empathetic.
With best wishes,
Jenny