Under the auspices of Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Sun Globe Foods Inc, a Tokyo based Japan government designated export promotion enterprise, today commenced ‘Oishii Nippon’ [Tasty Japan], food promotional campaign in Dubai, in collaboration with Daisho Emirates, a Japanese food importer and distribution company.
The opening ceremony was attended by Kobayashi Hiroyasu, the Consul-General of Japan in Dubai; Anzai Yoshikuni, the President of Sun Globe Food Inc; Hideki Kato, Director of Daisho Emirates as well as Managing Director of Daisho Thailand, the ASIAN based Japanese food supply chain; Jannie Holtzhauzen, the CEO of Spinneys, and high profile officials from the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), along with the elite business executives in the UAE.
Hiroyasu, while speaking at the ceremony, said: “Considering Dubai as a business hub of the region, the government of Japan is keen to invest in the lucrative and ever-expanding food market of the UAE. Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is currently working on a plan to increase export volume to the UAE.”
“As you may know, Japan enjoys the status of the ‘country of long life.’ The average life expectancy has already reached eighty-two years in Japan, which stands the highest in the world. This is mainly derived from our traditional food culture. I am very proud to say that Japanese food products are now widely accepted in many countries for their safety, tasty and healthy reasons”, Kobayashi Hiroyasu added.
The campaign has been organised by Sun Globe Food, a leading fruits and vegetable distributor in Japan, in cooperation with Daisho Emirates, importer and distributor of Japanese food, together with Spinneys, one of the leading supermarket chains dealing with premium products.
“We value our partnership with Spinneys, which will enable us to provide Japan’s top quality, farm fresh fruits and vegetables” commented Anzai Yoshikuni, the President of Sun Globe Food. “The move is a consolidated effort to introduce Japan’s quality benchmark and offer healthy food to the people of the UAE”, Yoshikuni added.
With the rigorous selection process of premium quality export commodities, some of the products that Sun Globe Food carries are fresh vegetables and fruits, processed foods such as Miso, Soy Sauce, Juices, Tea, Bug Wheat noodle (Soba) and white wheat noodle (Udon) in elegant packing. All products are imported from Japan. The company said it was on final stage of UAE market study for sea food export.
Jannie Holtzhauzen, the CEO of Spinneys supermarket chain in the UAE, commented: “Spinneys has a long standing tradition of offering its customers fresh produce of the highest quality. With the introduction of a premium range of fruit and vegetables from Japan, this practice is set to continue.” “Characteristics such as size, colour, texture, aroma and of course, taste, convey the exceptional nature of the produce, which is air freighted in from Japan to retain maximum freshness. Spinneys is indeed proud to have been selected as the exclusive supplier of Japanese fruit and vegetables in the UAE.” Holtzhauzen added.
Ahead of the company’s expansion plan into the Gulf markets in early 2008, Daisho has recently set up an office in Dubai and a warehouse in Sharjah. The company currently is planning to expand into other emirates of the UAE. At present, company’s major export markets are Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Russia, and the USA.
The first of a kind ‘Oishii Nippon in Dubai’ promotion with diversified menus and different themes for each month, will stay valid until 15th of March 2008 at Kisaku restaurant at Al Khaleej Palace Hotel, Dubai.
