We help western food and beverage makers grow their sales in Japan by representing their brands and operating as their local division. TOO International has a proven market development process that has already helped many businesses to reach their targets in the Japanese market.

Japan is the third largest economy in the world. Japanese lifestyle has involved western brands and culture for many decades. You can find many internationally-known products and companies in Japan, and the local market is always open to novelties and new trends. Still, to give a specific assessment regarding your product, we always do our research and collect actual information to back up our recommendations about market potential.

Prepare and commit to the market. The Japanese market differs from western markets in many ways, both culturally and structurally, and the competitive scene is also largely different in most industries, especially in the food and beverage sector. As a result, business success largely depends on how you deal with these differences. The more you prepare to understand local Japanese needs, the more probable you will have a successful business. Because preparation takes time and requires resources, commitment to investing in developing partnerships and a customer base is necessary to be successful in the long term.

Before finding a supermarket, you usually need an importer. Most Japanese supermarkets do not import on their own. Instead, they purchase their stock from wholesalers who import themselves or buy from separate importers. What’s more, most of the retailers in Japan have their own designated suppliers. Typically, the Japanese food and beverage industry's supply chain is layered and rigid. In order to get the supermarkets interested, you first need to convince the importer and the wholesaler to import enough stock of your product to start distribution. This can be a long process because all of the supply chain participants must be convinced that your product will meet local demand and match local standards. In short, you need to be prepared to answer all the local marketing and merchandising requirements, consider local supply chain structure, and then supermarkets will consider your product.

Having contacts is not the same as having customers. While you can go to a trade show and gather contacts yourself, turning those contacts into customers takes additional effort and expertise. That’s where we come in.

TOO International’s primary purpose is to grow your sales and develop the market of your products and brands. Because we want to position ourselves as your partner in Japan, and we are not importers or distributors, we always work with a fee structure that considers your Japanese business's long-term profitability. We never set unrealistic margins or offer services without considering the subsequent steps. We always plan and prepare for what we know we can execute ourselves. We build your brand on your behalf. Therefore, we work with a budget that will enable your brand to grow in Japan, and as a partner, not taking advantage in advance, we find it exciting to share the success with your team and company.