(President and CEO: Hanjiro Some-noya VIII: Atsuto Ono, Head Office: 2-1-32 Higashi, Toride City, Ibaraki Prefecture / Tokyo Head Office: 2-2-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), a long-established tofu manufacturer in Japan since 1862, has opened its first European store in Barcelona, Spain, as the company’s first Japanese tofu manufacturer s first overseas branch, and we are pleased to report that sales for the most recent September showed a strong growth of 179% compared to February of the same year, eight months earlier.
The story behind the development of our Barcelona store and local feedback
The predecessor of this store is TOFU Catalan S.L., which was established in 2010. In October 2022, the company’s shares were purchased and it became part of the Some-no-ya Group. In October 2023, the company resumed production and sales of “Authentic Line” using Someoya’s traditional manufacturing method, import and sales of SoMeat, a vegetable-based meat substitute that is very popular in Japan, and sales of boxed lunches and prepared foods using Tofu and meat substitutes. The company has also begun importing and selling prepared foods that use tofu and meat substitutes, as well as authentic Japanese foodstuffs that are popular among Japanese retailers. Many of the customers who visit the store are local Spaniards, and many of them say, “I would like you to sell more truly delicious Japanese foods such as pickles, koji, vegetables, etc., which are not currently available. We have received many comments from our customers.
[Europe is experiencing a boom in plant-based foods and Japanese food
According to data released by the European Commission’s research agency CORDIS, the plant-based food market in 11 European countries grew by an astounding 149% over the two-year period 2018-2020, reaching a market size of 3.6 billion euros/year (approximately 540 billion yen/year). Spain, where the company opened its first store, is the fourth largest market in Europe at 450 million euros/year (67 billion yen/year). The market growth rate is the highest in Europe. The three main reasons for the adoption of plant-based foods are health, animal welfare, and global environmental considerations.
＜CORDIS
According to the “Number of Japanese Restaurants Abroad” compiled by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the number of Japanese restaurants has increased 2.4-fold from 5,500 to 13,300 in the nine years from 2013-2021. According to the same Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries data, Japanese food exports will increase 125.6% from 2020 to 2021, and Japanese food overseas is expected to continue its upward trend.
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/shokusan/eat/attach/pdf/160328_shokub-13.pdf
＜The Japan Times
Future Development
Mr. Ono, the president of the company, said, “We are happy to be able to offer soy bean curd and soy processed foods, which are traditional Japanese foods that are attracting attention in Europe, to Europeans, who are highly conscious of authenticity, using the true Japanese traditional manufacturing method. Based in our Barcelona headquarters, we plan to next open stores of the same format in major European cities such as Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Venice in Italy. Even as we expand throughout Europe, we want to integrate ourselves into the local community here in Barcelona as the headquarters of Some-no-ya Europe.” said Mr. Somnoya.
Company Profile
Name: Some-noya Co.
Location: ＜Tokyo Head Office
Kishimoto Bldg. 6F, 2-2-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
URL ： http://www.somenoya.com
Go to Corporate Press Release Details (2023.10.02 16:00)
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