A move to expand the pillars of the business: An import trading company takes on the challenge of exporting food products from scratch.Towa Co., Ltd.

Could you tell us what led you to introduce STANDAGE's automated trading service this time?

Our company originally specialized in importing activated carbon, and we have maintained a high market share in Japan for activated carbon imports. However, the situation has continued with a small number of top companies accounting for the majority of sales, and although the market is stable, we were concerned that this would concentrate the risks of our business. Therefore, as part of our diversification efforts, we decided to expand overseas, particularly into export business.

Although we had experience in importing as a trading company, we had absolutely no experience in exporting, no know-how, and no connections with overseas buyers. Even after taking training at JETRO, we determined that it would be difficult to proceed with exports using only our own resources. It was at this point that Shoko Chukin introduced us to STANDAGE, and when we heard about their proposal, it perfectly matched what we wanted to do. The price was certainly not cheap, but we were convinced by the proposal, which was cheaper than hiring a full-time person in charge of export business, so we decided to sign the contract.

What exactly did it entail?

STANDAGE has provided us with comprehensive support, from product selection to overseas marketing and buyer development. We were extremely grateful for the information they provided about markets and regulations that we hadn't even considered.

It took some time to select our initial products, but STANDAGE introduced us to rice flour noodles as our first export product. From there, we expanded our product range by adding chocolate confectionery made with domestic fruits and matcha and hojicha powders.

I communicate with STANDAGE's staff almost every day, and I feel that we have close communication. In fact, we've had the opportunity to have a three-way meeting with the producers who make our dried fruit chocolates, and for them to connect our apparel products with buyers in Islamic countries. I have the impression that they are able to collaborate closely in a way that we wouldn't be able to achieve through web conferences alone.

What effects have you seen since implementing it?

In terms of quantitative results, we have sent samples of rice flour noodles and chocolate confectionery made with domestic fruits to buyers in Hong Kong, and we have received inquiries from the UK regarding matcha and hojicha powders, and have sent out samples to them.

Qualitatively, we feel that the foundation for export-oriented business flows and proposals has been established, and the hurdles to business negotiations have been lowered. Internally, we are also preparing for in-house production, with an experienced overseas employee scheduled to join us in September, and we have already participated in food export-related exhibitions.

What kind of support do you expect from Omakase Trading in the future?

Regarding the products we currently handle, we've already completed about half of the preparation for strategic proposals and sales materials. Going forward, we want to quickly move towards closing concrete deals and generating actual sales. Our goal is to achieve our first sales this year and generate substantial sales next fiscal year. Specifically, we aim for 100 million yen in sales next fiscal year.

Comment from Mr. Nomura of Towa Corporation

For companies like ours that want to export but don't know where to start, I would recommend our "Leave it to us" trading service. However, it is a service that does incur costs, so it's not for everyone. I think it's best suited for companies that want to build up their know-how and expertise while receiving support from the very beginning.