The domestic market is gradually shrinking. This is the path that seaweed manufacturers have chosen.Tsūhō Co., Ltd.

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

Our company has long been interested in overseas expansion, and after participating in an export support initiative implemented by Kumamoto Prefecture, we have gained experience exporting to Taiwan, Brazil, Hong Kong, and Singapore. I had a view that the domestic food market would gradually shrink in the future, and I felt that there were limits to selling only to department stores and supermarkets. That's why I wanted to look overseas and sow the seeds early on. We had been trying test marketing in France for about four years, but because we only had sales experience in Japan, there were some skeptical voices within the company.

As we pursued exports, we faced challenges gathering necessary information due to differing regulations and languages in each country. We were unsure how to proceed after exchanging business cards, and we struggled to respond to requests for samples. We consulted with JETRO and local chambers of commerce for information gathering and actively participated in business matching events. However, these events were geographically distant, often held in Tokyo, and even when we made good connections, we faced the obstacle of having to handle everything on our own from there. While there were many companies offering export support, most could only handle one country or so, making it difficult to find a service that suited our need to target multiple countries.

I learned about STANDAGE through a referral from a financial institution I do business with. I attended a seminar, which led to business negotiations. I felt that their ability to cover the entire world was a unique strength that I hadn't seen elsewhere, and the confidence I felt in their handling of debt risk was a major reason why I decided to sign the contract.

What exactly did it entail?

Specifically, the assistance we've received includes handling administrative tasks related to exports, such as preparing documents, and acting as our representative in communicating with overseas buyers. We also receive knowledge sharing on country-specific regulations and support with "FDA facility registration," which is necessary for exports to the United States. We feel that the person in charge has consistently provided sincere and reliable service.

We appreciate your support at trade shows, and we hope to increase our participation in buyer negotiations in the future. Currently, we only have one client, so we would like to expand our business to more clients in the future.

What effects have you seen since implementing it?

As a quantitative result, we have received continuous orders from the French buyer that STANDAGE helped cultivate in June and July, which is leading to steady results. There have also been changes in our internal structure. Currently, I am solely responsible for new business development, and we have established a system where we assign a person in charge to each country where business is on track, and we have even gone so far as to assign a dedicated person in Taiwan. With STANDAGE's support, we have steadily expanded our overseas connections, including exhibiting at the Japan Food Export EXPO 2025 Winter and the international food trade fair "FHA (Food & Hotel Asia)," and bringing samples for business negotiations in Hong Kong.

While there are some skeptical voices within the company regarding the upfront investment, I believe that attitudes will change as results become apparent. Ultimately, we aim for overseas sales of 100 million yen, with 10 million yen per country, and this is based on the ideas we learned at the study sessions introduced by STANDAGE. Currently, we are focusing on Singapore, the United States, and France, and we are in the process of selecting and considering what products to sell and how to sell them in preparation for exhibiting at "SIAL Paris," one of the world's largest food trade fairs held in France.

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

What we continue to hope for is your assistance in attending buyer meetings and providing support at trade shows. When working on trade shows both domestically and internationally, we feel that having the year's schedule shared early makes it easier to plan which ones we want to participate in. We are also considering participating in the Winter 2026 Export EXPO through the Kumamoto Prefecture quota.

Furthermore, since compliance with HACCP standards for seafood is required for the EU market, we are also working on developing new products such as wasabi-flavored and vegetable-flavored furikake (rice seasoning) that do not use seafood. We want to continue these challenges in order to broaden our options for overseas expansion.

Comment from Mr. Tsukada of Tsūhō Co., Ltd.

I don't think it's a good idea to completely delegate the task. It's important to be proactive in developing overseas sales channels, and I feel that whether or not the management team is looking overseas is key.

Companies with unique technologies, values, and product strengths are the ones that will be properly recognized overseas. While it's necessary to be prepared for the situation overseas, I don't think there's any need to be overly afraid if you proceed while gathering information in parallel.