Currently, sushi has become a staple meal across the United States, with its largest market being high-end sushi restaurants and eateries. However, in recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of stores offering Japanese food in the ready-to-eat (RTM) market, such as campus cafeterias and supermarket sushi sections. Today, it is not an exaggeration to say that sushi and other Japanese foods can be found in almost every campus cafeteria and supermarket.
Despite this growth, much of the rice used in the ready-to-eat market is California-grown rice. Japanese rice, being more expensive than California rice, has not gained significant traction in the RTM market. However, we believe there is growing demand for Japanese rice in the expanding U.S. Japanese food RTM market.
To address this, our company collaborated with local wholesalers and RTM operators to promote the development of new demand for Japanese rice. As a result, we engaged in negotiations with a sushi chain operating around 80 outlets in famous U.S. universities and hospitals, and since December 2024, the use of Ibaraki Prefecture’s “Ubara Rice” has been adopted at the cafeteria within Princeton University, which is managed by our company. We have acted as the liaison between the import wholesalers and the retail partners, supporting the negotiations and commercial activities. The low-amylose Ubara Rice maintains its chewy texture even after several hours, earning high praise from the students.
In addition to this project, as an agent for JRE (Japan Rice and Rice-Related Products Export Promotion Council), our company analyzes the products of 80 member companies and works tirelessly on market development research, promotional activities, and the creation of new demand to promote rice exports to the United States.
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