Wismettac Foods, Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President, Representative Director: Hiroyuki Shinkai; hereinafter referred to as ‘Wismettac’) is pleased to announce that it has been selected as a subsidy recipient under the ‘Emergency Measures for Strengthening Supply Chain Connectivity in Fiscal Year 2024’ solicited by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

 

Since its founding, Wismettac has been dedicated to enriching dining tables not only in Japan but around the world. With over 100 years of history, we have established a global foundation in the food industry. We have built an international network focused on food, expanding our wholesale business centered on Asian foods and ingredients. In addition to our domestic fresh agricultural products import business, we export high-value-added Japanese fresh agricultural products to overseas markets, including Asian countries.

We have been selected as a subsidized business operator under the ‘Emergency Measures for Strengthening Supply Chain Connectivity in Fiscal Year 2024.’ Through this initiative, we aim to contribute to the promotion of exports of high-quality fresh agricultural products and seafood from Japan by constructing and strengthening the supply chain for fresh agricultural products and seafood in the United States, while leveraging synergies within our group.

 

 

The ‘Emergency Measures for Strengthening Supply Chain Integration in Fiscal Year 2024’ is a program implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) aimed at expanding the export value of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and foodstuffs. It supports efforts to strengthen the supply capacity of production areas, address challenges related to logistics and local sales both domestically and internationally and establish new business models targeting overseas markets with competitive products. To further expand exports through the development of new sales channels, the program supports efforts to establish a new, integrated supply chain from production to local sales.

 

 

The Japanese government is promoting initiatives such as export promotion, support, the creation of model production areas, and the protection and utilization of intellectual property in order to achieve its targets of increasing the export value of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food to 2 trillion yen by 2025 and 5 trillion yen by 2030^*1. Expanding exports to the United States, the world's largest economy, is one of the key themes for achieving these targets. In terms of export destinations for fresh products, Taiwan and Hong Kong account for 80% of total exports by value, while exports to the United States remain at a low level of 3.3%^*2. Fresh agricultural products export to the United States face challenges such as restrictions on product categories due to local regulations, as well as the vastness of the country, which makes it difficult to distribute fresh agricultural products while maintaining high freshness throughout the United States. Additionally, to ensure food safety, establishing a record-keeping and audit system that maintains consistent quality throughout the entire supply chain is a key challenge.

 

 

 

Wismettac is a pioneer in Japanese and Asian food, with over 100 years of history in the Japanese food wholesale business overseas. Its export and wholesale business for North America is the core business of the group. With its own logistics capabilities, including warehouses and trucks, Wismettac operates 20 locations in the United States, primarily serving Japanese restaurants with frozen seafood products, processed foods such as seasonings, and rice, contributing to the promotion of Japanese food. Additionally, leveraging its expertise in handling fresh agricultural products through its domestic import business, Wismettac is expanding its export business of high-value-added Japanese fresh agricultural products to overseas markets, including Asian countries.

 

As Japanese food culture rapidly expands overseas, there is an increasing demand from local restaurant chains and general consumers for high-value-added products such as fresh fish and fresh agricultural products. Wismettac has launched the Ikigai Fruits business in the U.S. market, which directly delivers Japanese fresh fruits to consumers' homes, and the Omakase Fresh™ business^*3 through its group company Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. to deliver fresh fish directly from Japan to restaurants.

 

Going forward, we will leverage synergies within the group to supply not only fresh fish but also fresh fruits and vegetables that meet U.S. regulations for ‘Omakase’ menus^*3, with the ultimate goal of establishing a platform for supplying high-end gourmet ingredients. By establishing a supply chain that delivers high-value-added Japanese fresh fish and agricultural products across borders, we will work to further promote Japanese cuisine and expand the market.

*1 Source: Progress of the Implementation Strategy for Expanding Exports of Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Products and Food (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) / Japanese
*2 Source: Current Status of Fresh agricultural Products Exports (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: June 2024) /Japanese
*3 To reach the growing demand for the ‘Omakase’ style of dining, where chefs prepare and serve dishes using fresh ingredients sourced on the same day, we have launched a high-quality fresh fish export sales business in the United States. We supply high-quality, fresh fish sourced by the expert buyers of MARUTSU OSEI Co.,Ltd., a wholesaler with over 80 years of history at the Toyosu Market, to high-end restaurants in the United States through Wismettac's global sales network.

 

 

 

 

 

【Products handled in this project】
Strawberries, melons, pears, persimmons, mandarin oranges, kiwis
Bluefin tuna, red sea bream, yellowtail, striped jack, red snapper, yellowtail, sea urchin, purple sea urchin, etc.

【Target country】
United States

【Overview of the business flow to be modelled in this project】
Export and sales of fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh fish to Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc., a U.S. group company

【Project Content】
(１) Resolving issues at the production stage: Improving safety through monitoring and guidance on pesticide use
(２) Resolving issues at the shipping stage: Pilot testing of year-round sales in the U.S. using new freshness preservation solutions
(３) Resolving issues at the distribution stage: Establishing an export logistics system
(４) Sales stage issues: Expanding distribution channels for Japanese food products targeting high-end and mainstream local markets

 

 

 

 

(1) Company name: Wismettac Foods, Inc.

(2) Location: 15th Floor, Nihonbashi Muromachi Mitsui Tower, 3-2-1, Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0022, Japan

(3) President, Representative Director：Hiroyuki Shinkai

(4) Established: 1912

(5) URL:https://www.wismettac.com/en/index.html

(6) Principal Business:

• Development and overseas sales of Asian food products (Asian Food Global Business)
• Domestic and overseas sales of fresh and frozen processed fruits and vegetables (Agricultural Products Trading Business)
• Domestic and overseas sales of other products (Amenity Business)

 

 

Corporate Management Office, Nishimoto Co., Ltd.

Phone: 03-6870-2015

Email us at: https://www.wismettac.com/en/contact.html