27 Sep

Meros – USDA Food Export Guides to Japan Online Now

Posted by Team Meros in News, Publications

Meros recently teamed up with the US Embassy Japan’s Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) to develop a series of export guides that detail the regulatory requirements for 24 specific products, from cheese to chocolate, herbal tea to wine. While the aim is to support American SMEs who are interested in exporting food products to Japan, the detailed guides can be of interest to food exporters of all levels of experience.

Exporting to Japan can seem daunting with numerous required forms and official resources not always available in English. In these guides, we take potential exporters step-by-step from pre-embarkation to import clearance and lay out the expected forms and preparations necessary at each stage.

For new food exporters to Japan, common challenges include differences in food additive standards which may mean a product that is allowed for food products in the home country may not always be allowed in Japan.  Japan’s strict, low tolerance standards for agrochemical residues (MRLs) also trips up some potential exporters.  These guides aim to point out some of these common pitfalls in advance, so exporters are better prepared. They are not meant as “do-it-yourself” guides but as a tool to help exporters better navigate the export process together with their Japanese importers and distributors.

We provide examples of required ingredients lists, manufacturing process charts as well as labelling for each type of product – but it is important for exporters to always keep in mind that requirements can change without notice – especially whenever sanitary or phytosanitary risks are involved.  Ultimately, a successful export business to Japan require ongoing vigilance for regulatory changes, as well as strong relationships with importers and partners in Japan.

All guides are available here: https://www.usdajapan.org/export-guidance/

10 May

EU Agricultural Mission to Japan highlights interest in consumer demographics, organic markets and retail innovation

Posted by Lucia Vancura in Market Trends, News

This week Meros’ Managing Director Chisa Ogura presented on Japanese consumer food trends to delegates of the High Level EU Agricultural Mission to Japan led by EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan. There were over 70 delegates, including agricultural industry reps, SMEs and farmers from throughout the EU, all looking to understand how the new EU-Japan EPA can benefit food and agricultural trade between the EU and Japan.

It was a full house and we got great questions from the delegates on organic trends (especially in wine and beef), the impact of demographic changes and the notoriously fast turnover in new retail products.

Japanese consumers now spend more on bread than rice, more on meat than seafood and more on wine than sake, with cheese and yogurt consumption growing rapidly. This brings many potential opportunities for EU food and agriculture to develop new business in Japan.

Nevertheless, to successfully build a business in Japan, careful understanding of the characteristics of the Japan market is of course critical. For example, one area of interest to delegates was the fact that while countries like Denmark (227€ annual per capita spending), Germany (116€ per capita) and France (101€ per cap) have booming organic markets, consumer interest in organic products has been slow to catch on in Japan (only 8€ per capita).

The price premium for organic is relatively small in Japan, compared to some of its Asian neighbors, where organic products can command an extremely high price premium. Japanese consumers also tend to be convinced that domestic conventionally grown agricultural products are already safe and healthy and are less willing to pay a premium for organic certified products. In addition, organic agriculture is difficult in wet and humid Japan and this has resulted in fewer Japanese companies producing, promoting and educating on organic practices. While EU organic products are welcome in Japan, more of the burden for promotion and consumer education will fall on the EU side.

Other consumer trends that Meros highlighted included the Japanese consumer expectation for constant relaunches and limited editions of retail food and beverage products, which contrasts with many EU exporters’ focus on classic and authenticity, rather than innovation.  Not only is this seasonal packaging an issue, but urban Japanese consumers tend to bring their groceries home by hand or in a bicycle basket, to a kitchen with extremely limited storage space. Responsiveness to these Japanese consumer lifestyle realities can greatly improve EU exporters’ marketing and promotion strategies.

 

21 Feb

Former IFC-Executive Takuro Kimura Joins Meros as Strategic Advisor

Posted by Team Meros in News

Meros Consulting is pleased to announce that Takuro Kimura, former executive at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has joined Meros as Strategic Advisor.

“We are thrilled to have Takuro join our team and be able to share his extensive experience in public and private sector agribusiness investment, particularly in the context of investment in agriculture development in emerging economies,” says Meros’ Managing Director Chisa Ogura.

Takuro’s previous career at the IFC spanned two decades and included posts in Washington, Tokyo and Cairo. The IFC is the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, offering investment and advisory services to support private-sector development in emerging markets. Takuro was Global Head, Manufacturing from 2011—2014 and had previously held senior positions covering agribusiness, services and energy (oil, gas and mining) across all continents.

Most recently, after returning from Washington to Tokyo, Takuro was the Managing Director at Orix Corporation’s Global Business Development and Investment Group, focusing on investment in emerging economies with a focus on agriculture value chains, healthcare and related logistics

“We have gotten to know Takuro over the past three years, and have been impressed with his energy, insightful business perspectives and interest in developing teams and people. He brings valuable, practical insights from past investment projects, both on the factors for success and the risks to anticipate,” said Lucia Vancura, Meros’ Director of Operations and Global Markets.

“I believe food and agriculture is the cornerstone of global sustainability. Smart investments and business innovations can create significant social and economic impact, “ said Takuro Kimura. “Meros has solid sectoral experience and a strong commitment to identify business and investment opportunities for its customers. I look forward to working with Meros to support the creation of business opportunities, especially for Japanese companies, in emerging markets in Asia and beyond.”

Takuro’s experience in bringing public and private sector players together to create value for growing businesses is extensive and he is deeply familiar with the as needs and expectations of investors. Together, we will be focusing on developing strategies to strengthen global food systems and promote economic development along the agricultural supply chain in fast-growing markets, particularly in Southeast Asia, India and Africa.

Takuro is a graduate of Kyoto University’s law faculty, completed graduate work at the Ecole Superieure du Commerce de Paris (ESCP) and received his MBA from ISA-HEC in France. He began his career at Sanwa Bank in Tokyo and later joined the IFC-managed Africa Enterprise Fund, focusing on SME investment consulting in Sub-Saharan Africa, based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.