Standage and ABC Cooking Studios jointly held a local tasting event to confirm the reliability of transportation in the Singapore market and the export needs for Japanese products.

 

STANDAGE Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Akinori Adachi; hereinafter referred to as STANDAGE) and ABC Cooking Studio Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Narumi Shimura; hereinafter referred to as ABC) conducted a demonstration of a door-to-door small-lot transportation network using temperature-controlled air freight, which they have been continuously working on since 2023, with Singapore as the destination on March 15, 2025. In this demonstration, STANDAGE utilized its own service "Omakase Trading" to export goods from customers it supports for export. Furthermore, in Singapore, the two companies jointly held a product introduction and tasting event at the ABC Takashimaya SC Cooking Studio. Through this initiative, they were able to confirm the practicality, usefulness, and solid demand for this transportation network between Japan and Singapore.

 

■ About the demonstration and project

Standage and ABC, in collaboration with Mitsubishi Corporation, have been working since 2023 to demonstrate the construction of a door-to-door small-lot transportation network using temperature-controlled air freight (*). They have already conducted four cargo shipments to Southeast Asia, including Singapore, and this will be their fifth demonstration.

Given the nature of this demonstration of temperature-controlled air transport, the main cargo consists of food and beverages that require quality control.

Singapore has demonstrated a growing demand for fresh and refrigerated foods from Japan, and its purchasing power is considered high. Therefore, we determined that it is a suitable environment for this demonstration and selected it as the destination for this project.

In the previous four demonstrations, we conducted temperature-controlled transportation of both frozen and refrigerated goods from a single location (such as Shima City in Mie Prefecture and Choshi City in Chiba Prefecture). However, this time, we collected goods from various locations throughout Japan and transported them to Singapore while maintaining a temperature environment sufficient to preserve quality.

We have verified the accuracy of maintaining the transport temperature and the freshness preservation rate for the cargo transported this time, and have confirmed that both meet certain standards.

 

Furthermore, by providing opportunities for local consumers to sample the products at ABC Cooking Studio Singapore, we were able to verify the product's acceptance in the Singapore market and the potential for establishing a distribution network.

 

Based on the results of this demonstration, we will continue to work on building a logistics network with a view to expanding to other countries, and we will aim to further improve our temperature control technology.

 

(*) The construction of this logistics network for transportation to Southeast Asia is being undertaken as part of JETRO's (Japan External Trade Organization) support project for diversifying overseas supply chains.

 

■ "Omakase Trading" select ingredients come together in Singapore, served in original menus supervised by ABC.

The primary objective of this demonstration project is to establish a transportation network, but it is well-suited to confirming and promoting export demand for Japanese products. Through Mitsubishi Corporation, we have collaborated with local governments to confirm local demand and increase awareness of products from Shima City in Mie Prefecture and Choshi City in Chiba Prefecture.

 

This time, Standage transported nine carefully selected food ingredients and beverages from food production and sales companies across Japan that it supports through its "Leave it to us" trade program. These were then prepared using original menus supervised by ABC and served to 61 local consumers.

We confirmed that the quality and freshness of the products were maintained through actual tastings by local consumers, and by providing lectures on the origin, production background, and characteristics of each item, we promoted understanding of Japanese products and stimulated further demand.

 

<Event Overview>

Date and Time: Saturday, March 15, 2025 ① 10:30 AM, ② 2:00 PM

Venue: ABC Cooking Studio Takashimaya SC Studio

Total number of participants over the two sessions: 61

 

*Event dates and times are listed in local time.

 

<List of transported ingredients>

Olive oil made exclusively from olives grown in Etajima, Hiroshima.Yamamoto Club Co., Ltd. (Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture)

 

Now in season, Ishikawa Prefecture's sea bream is characterized by its rich umami flavor and intense sweetness.Kanazawa Marunaka Suisan Co., Ltd. (Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture)

 

High-quality salmon raised with spring water from Mt. FujiSeto Suisan Co., Ltd. (Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture)

 

A base for Tosa's famous "Katsuo Meshi" (bonito rice), made with no additives.Chikamori Sangyo Co., Ltd. (Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture)

 

Highly nutritious and brain-stimulating: Coral Lion's Mane MushroomKubo Sangyo Co., Ltd. (Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture)

 

Bonito broth made with carefully selected domestic ingredientsHamaya Katsuobushi Co., Ltd. (Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture)

 

Hand-stretched somen noodles made using only domestically produced wheat and adhering to traditional methods.Minami Taka Airinkai Social Welfare Corporation (Unzen City, Nagasaki Prefecture)

 

Yuzu ponzu sauce made with 100% yuzu juice from Kumenan-cho, Okayama Prefecture.Ishii Foods Co., Ltd. (Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture)

 

Ginger wine made with the rare "golden ginger" grown in southern Kyushu.Nagato Foods Co., Ltd. (Tsu City, Okayama Prefecture)

 

<Menu Overview>

First, olive oil baguette

②Sea bream with salted egg and salmon with black pepper

③ Rice mixed with bonito flakes

④ Coral mushrooms in bonito broth

⑤ Somen noodles with yuzu ponzu sauce

⑥ Ginger wine with soda

 

■ Tosa's specialty "Katsuo-meshi" (bonito rice) is gaining popularity; merchandise sales sell out immediately, demonstrating strong local demand.

Particularly popular among participants was the mixed rice dish using "Katsuo Meshi no Moto" (bonito rice seasoning mix) from Chikamori Sangyo Co., Ltd. (Kochi Prefecture). Not only was the taste excellent, but the ease of preparation was also a major draw for Singaporeans who rarely cook at home.

At the merchandise booth set up after the tasting, the "Katsuo Meshi Mix" sold out immediately, and the easy-to-prepare Coral Lion's Mane Mushroom (Kubo Sangyo Co., Ltd., Nagano Prefecture) also proved popular, confirming the acceptance of our products in the Singapore market.

Furthermore, in a survey conducted after the event, 95.1% of participants responded that they were "satisfied."

 

"I participated because I was interested in Japanese food and culture! I want to learn more about Japanese ingredients."

"The coral mushroom is delicious, I want to make soup with it, so I bought some."

"I would like to continue participating in tasting events for regional Japanese specialties and cooking experiences using high-quality ingredients."

We have received feedback like this, and we plan to utilize it in our efforts to build new business channels.

 

Standage will continue to support the overseas expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout Japan, creating an environment where all companies, regardless of size or location, can participate in exports, and contributing to the realization of a world where "all countries have equal access to all things."

■ About ABC Cooking Studio

https://www.abc-cooking.co.jp/

ABC Cooking Studio is one of the world's largest cooking schools, with approximately 1.7 million members in Japan and overseas (as of October 2024).

ABC Cooking Studio opened its first overseas location in 2010. Since then, it has expanded its classrooms to eight countries and regions, including Japan, in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and is expanding its services mainly in Asia. Based on its corporate philosophy of "bringing smiles to dining tables all over the world," ABC Cooking Studio offers cooking, bread making, and cake making classes; abc kids is a cooking studio for children aged 4 and up; and 1-day cooking classes are also offered. Through these services, ABC Cooking Studio conveys the importance and joy of "homemade food" to its students. In addition, ABC Cooking Studio also operates regional revitalization projects through recipe development and consulting using local specialties, media businesses aimed at product promotion, and ABC Job Studio, a staffing service that provides personnel support to companies and local governments.

 

■About Standage

Established in March 2017, the company's vision is "to create a world where all countries have equal access to all goods." They are developing a new trade settlement system utilizing blockchain and stablecoins that enables the safe, secure, and inexpensive simultaneous exchange of "goods" and "payments" regardless of region or country. Seeing emerging markets, particularly Africa, as their main market, they established a base in Nigeria shortly after their founding and began developing trade operations with Africa. Beyond trade settlement, they develop and provide systems that realize digital transformation across the entire trade sector, including sales channel development, order processing, and international logistics. They are also working to increase the number of new domestic trade players by supporting exports from small and medium-sized enterprises.