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TALK ABOUT “Wismettac”｜#02

New Business Development

Creating new value through the possibilities of food.

TALK ABOUT “Wismettac”｜#02

New Business Development

The possibilities of food
Creating new value.

NEW GRADUATE
Entry

CAREER
Entry

Growing interest in SDGs (sustainability) and safe and secure food,
The environment surrounding us is undergoing major changes, including social issues such as a declining birthrate and an aging population.
What can the Wismettac Group do to address newly emerging needs and challenges?
We interviewed three leaders who are creating new solutions with an eye on the future of society and the market.
We spoke to him about his vision for new business development and future prospects.

ASIAN FOOD
GLOBAL BUSINESS

Asian Food Global Business
Alireza Mohammadi /
Alireza Mohammad
2020 Career Joined
Wismettac Foods Co., Ltd.
Executive Officer

AGRICULTURAL
BUSINESS

Agricultural business
Yoshimitsu Chiba / Yoshimitsu Chiba
Joined the company in 1998 as a career veteran
Wismettac Foods Co., Ltd.
Executive Officer

NEW BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT

New Business Development WBD Company ^*
Masaharu Suzuki / Masaharu Suzuki
2021 Career Joint Hire
Nishimoto Wismettac Holdings Co., Ltd. Director
*Wismettac Business Development Company

*Affiliations and content are current as of the time of coverage.

INDEX

CHAPTER 01 Diversifying challenges present huge business opportunities.

CHAPTER 02Don't miss signs of need and develop new markets.

CHAPTER 03All solutions come from the field.

CHAPTER 01

Diversifying challenges present great business opportunities.

-The various issues and needs surrounding society are constantly changing. As a member of the Wismettac Group, how do you view these changes?

Alireza: I feel that people are beginning to seek new values and meanings in food. The conditions are "good for the planet," "good for the community," "good for health," and "good taste." In particular, emphasis is being placed on aspects that have not been given much attention until now, such as whether the food uses sustainable and earth-friendly ingredients and whether it is a health-conscious food. In addition, the flexitarian style of eating mainly plant-based foods and occasionally eating meat and fish has become popular among the younger generation in Europe and the United States, and the consumption of livestock products is on a downward trend year by year. The development of digital communication and the sharp increase in opportunities to come into contact with various information on the Internet may also be influencing this trend. I believe that these will become even bigger trends in the next 10 years. As a company that deals with "food" content, we believe that we must re-examine the ingredients, promote local production and consumption, and provide food that meets the needs of our customers.

Suzuki: The aging problem is becoming a serious issue in developed countries. As a result, the need for medical care and nursing care for the elderly is increasing. In particular, Japan has the highest aging rate in the world and is said to be a country that is advanced in terms of issues. In some ways, this can be seen as a huge business opportunity. Food and healthcare have a high affinity, and the idea that "food is medicine" and "food as medicine" have been widely adopted throughout history and around the world. In Japan, which is a super-aging society, healthcare-related technological development is progressing and the market is becoming a red ocean, but overseas it is still a blue ocean. We would like to utilize the business assets of the Wismettac Group, which has a global network, to provide optimal solutions to the aging problem, a social issue, to all parts of the world.

I am focusing on intellectual property management of Chiba agricultural products. Japanese fruits and vegetables are highly regarded around the world for their high quality, almost like works of art. However, there have been cases where seeds and seedlings have flowed overseas due to issues with intellectual property management, resulting in huge losses. I would like to face this issue and further increase the value of Japanese brand fruits and vegetables. There are also many challenges with the production system for Japanese fruits and vegetables. Overseas, mechanization and labor-saving technology have advanced, and efficient production systems have been built, which means that they are available on the market at affordable prices. I believe that Japan needs to adopt the excellent parts of overseas production system technology, improve efficiency, and spread it more widely in the market.

CHAPTER 02

We will not miss any signs of need and will develop new markets.

-What kind of initiatives are you undertaking to provide new solutions to social issues?

Chiba Agri has traditionally been involved in the import of overseas fruits and vegetables into Japan. In response to the demand from overseas customers for the sale of Japanese fruits and vegetables, the company has started a new business of exporting domestically produced fruits and vegetables overseas. However, domestically produced fruits and vegetables have issues such as being more expensive than overseas markets and being inedible outside of the season. Therefore, the company has started a farming business to grow domestically produced fruits and vegetables in the Southern Hemisphere outside of the Japanese season and stabilize the annual supply. The company has also developed a business to brand small apples that are not available on the Japanese market as "SUGOI Apple" and sell them in Asian countries where there is a high demand for small apples. With a market-in approach, the company proposes solutions that link consumer needs with producers' challenges to build win-win relationships.

SuzukiFirst, we launched a business of food for specific diseases in 2021, targeting hospitals and elderly care facilities. In Japan, there are many people who have digestive concerns due to digestive diseases such as stomach cancer. However, until now, there has been no clear food solution for this area. Therefore, we anticipated that there would be a need for food that is easy to digest, nutritious, and enjoyable to look at and taste. Food is the basis of health. If you cannot eat, there is a risk of developing other diseases. We are working on product development that gives everyone the joy of eating and improves their quality of life.

Alireza Asian Food Global has exported Japanese and Asian food and seafood products mainly to overseas Asian markets (Japanese restaurants, Asian mass retailers, etc.), but we are also focusing on expanding our trade with the local mainstream globally. We have also started to work on producing sustainable raw materials. For example, land-based aquaculture of seafood. Traditionally, eels consumed in the United States were farmed in China and transported to the United States by plane. As a result, eels were sometimes given antibiotics to help them withstand long-distance travel. This is not friendly to the global environment or health. Therefore, we are considering solutions such as setting up tanks on land in the United States to farm eels and reusing the water. Land-based aquaculture also leads to the prevention of marine pollution, and is expected to have social benefits in terms of preserving biodiversity, food security and sustainable food supply for consumers, and revitalizing local industries in and around the production facilities. We aim to promote local production and consumption and sustainable production.

-How are the Wismettac Group's assets and strengths utilized in launching new businesses and getting them on track?

The Suzuki Wismettac Group has a global network, so we have the advantage of being able to collect information on local issues and needs, and develop products while appropriately localizing them. We can also work with startups and research institutions that do not have a global network, and use our network to help them expand their technologies overseas. By developing markets from a business development perspective, we will be able to build further assets.

Alireza: That's right. Startups have ideas that can propose solutions to the market, but they don't have a global network or production base. On the other hand, we have a network with diverse partners around the world. We work with startups to manage projects, collect data and make improvements to develop products and technologies. In this way, we can also function as a platform for startups.

Our strengths are our experience cultivated over more than 100 years of history in Chiba and our global supply chain. Our organizational strength, which allows us to collect information from around the world in real time from our overseas bases in five regions (Japan, North America, Europe, Southeast Asia/Oceania, and China) and quickly promote solutions, is essential to the success of various new initiatives.

CHAPTER 03

All solutions come from the field.

-Please tell us about your future vision for new business development.

Chiba: Japanese fruits and vegetables are highly regarded worldwide and have great potential. In order to further increase the value of the Japanese brand and develop the market, we will be aggressive in managing intellectual property and registering trademarks. We are also working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, various institutions, and universities to create rules for intellectual property management and develop new varieties. We will also focus on building a system that can ensure a stable supply of seasonal fruits and vegetables throughout the year. By distributing excellent products to the world in a borderless manner on the field of the Earth, we hope to contribute not only to consumers but also to producers both at home and abroad.

SuzukiThe healthcare field is one of the markets that will continue to expand in the future. First, we will target the elderly and those with illnesses, and then develop solutions for various targets based on those targets. To that end, we would like to develop channels such as hospitals and nursing homes and have contact points to capture real primary information. We believe that there are issues and needs in the field, from latent to obvious, so we would like to create new solutions to issues and needs obtained from fresh information. In addition, there is great potential in the field of "food x medicine x DX". For example, it would be interesting if the right combination of meals could be developed by combining data on individual health and preferences with a food database. It will take some time to realize this, but we believe it is an area with infinite potential.

AlirezaProviding products that are less burdensome to the environment. Providing high-quality products. These are our two missions. By achieving these two missions, we hope to provide various solutions to the global market through the content of "food" from Japan. However, uniform Japanese "food" is not accepted in all regions. While fulfilling the requirements of our mission, we aim to localize for each country and region, and pursue and provide solutions that are close to everyone.

-Whatattitude and spirit do you expect from young employees in order to realize your vision?

Suzuki: Starting a new business is not an easy challenge. That's why it's important to have the passion to create new value and make customers happy. You have to search for all kinds of information with your own eyes and feet, pursue potential issues in the world, and provide optimal solutions. Rather than giving up and saying "I can't do it," we welcome people who think about "what can I do" and continue to take on challenges.

Alireza If you have the ability to be passionate about business as a professional and have the ability to manage projects, and if you agree with our vision, we promise you will be able to excel in the best field.

In order to make your Chiba business a success, it is important to always be interested in your surroundings, gather information, and act quickly. As food specialists, we will look not only at Japan but also the world, catch the latest information, and work with you to create food content with flexible ideas.