Category Archives: Cooperatives

TOKYO, June 4 — A Japanese private equity fund has acquired the United Arab Emirates-based Country Hill International (CHI), a leading meat importer and distributor, for an undisclosed amount. The Gulf Japan Food Fund (GJFF), the Japanese fund that promotes Japanese agricultural exports, acquired the CHI, with an aim to boost the exports of halal wagyu beef to the Middle East market. The CHI is a meat wholesaler company that specializes in importing meat products from New Zealand and Australia. It distributes them to high-end hotels, restaurants and major supermarket chains in the UAE. The move comes as the high-priced Japanese delicacy, such as wagyu beef, has become increasingly popular … Continue reading →

MORIYAMA, May 24 — A Japanese farmers’ co-operative in Shiga prefecture is to export its pearl barley to Taiwan for the first time, aiming to capitalize its health benefits abroad. JA Oumifuji is to ship 300 packages of prepackaged pearl barley to Taiwan in June. One package contains 300 grams of barley grown in Shiga prefecture. Pearl barley has a chewy, satisfying texture and subtle nutty flavor, making it a perfect way to bulk up meals. Many studies have suggested that increasing consumption of barley decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

KYOTO, May 26 – The Kyoto prefectural headquarters of National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH) has collaborated with female college students in the Kansai area to develop photogenic green tea-flavored sweets, which are put on sale at its restaurant Minoru Shokudo located inside Takashimaya department store in Kyoto. Seven types of desserts, including a parfait and a custard pudding using green tea produced by a local agricultural cooperative JA Kyoto Yamashiro, are created and sold until July to appeal to young women who like to post photos on social media. Team KJ, a group of female college students in Kansai who collaborate with companies on product development, helped create … Continue reading →

TOKYO, May 20 — Japanese red beans grown in Hokkaido have been certified as Japanese space food for crew members at the International Space Station (ISS). The JA Obihiro Kawanishi of Hokkaido announced on May 19 that its red beans obtained approval from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to be used for a Japanese festive dish, called sekihan, to be sent to the ISS. At first, the Japanese farmers group sought the Safe Food Quality (SFQ) certification from the Geneva-based International Standards Organization (ISO). “The SFQ certification demonstrates our commitments to providing the highest quality of red beans to food processing makers to make sekihan,” said Toshinobu Arizuka, the … Continue reading →