Irish beef will be offered for sale in a premium retailer in Japan for the first time this month, following a landmark deal.
Japan’s most high-end department store group, Isetan, will promote Irish grass-fed beef produced by Co. Longford-based beef specialist, John Stone, for a two-week period from September 7, at its flagship Shinjuku outlet.
The meat will be sold to customers at the Kojima Shoten shop in the food hall of the department store, at a similar price to the popular, domestic Wagyu beef.
The Irish beef will also be served across 14 restaurants in the luxury outlet, feature in a cookery demonstration by a Michelin-star chef, and be profiled in the store’s Foodie magazine, which reaches 40,000 people.
John Stone already supplies some of the world’s leading hotels and restaurants with Irish beef and lamb from its headquarters in Ballymahon.
Tim Stone, managing director of the company, said that they have found “the ideal commercial partner” in Kojima Shoten and Isetan.
“Our family business is built on developing mutually beneficial relationships with our suppliers and their chefs, and we partner only with those who are equally committed to providing the highest quality taste experience,” he said.
The promotion was officially launched today (Friday, September 2) by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, who is currently leading an Irish government-led trade mission to Japan, Singapore and Vietnam.
Commenting on the deal, Bord Bia interim chief executive, Michael Murphy, said:
“The sale of Irish beef in one of the world’s most prestigious department stores is a strong endorsement of the quality and reputation of Irish beef from farm to fork.”
He said that buyers are showing an increasing interest in Irish grass-fed beef and today’s launch reflects the growing opportunity for Irish beef to find a niche among premium suppliers.
Irish beef exports to Japan, including primary cuts and offal, increased in value by 28% to reach €28 million last year.
The project to find John Stone a retail partner in Japan was led by Fiona Flavin, from Dublin, who is part of the Bord Bia marketing fellowship programme.
“The quality of customer is really high and that is where we can fit in John Stone [beef], which is premium,” Flavin said.
She added that what makes Irish beef “perfect” is that it is completely different to the long-established Japanese Wagyu in terms of taste and texture.
Flavin noted that 100,000 customers pass through Isetan’s Shinjuku store each day, with some VIP customers spending around €10,000 per month.
It is hoped that the promotion will spread awareness of Irish grass-fed beef among Japanese consumers and lead to further in-store opportunities.
To mark the launch a video billboard campaign advertising Irish beef has begun at Tokyo’s iconic Shinjuku Station junction.
You can view the advertisement by clicking on the video below:
Japanese consumers have historically had a preference for grain-fed beef over grass-fed, due to the reputation of their own Wagyu beef and successful marketing of US produce.
However, Bord Bia taste test research in Japan found there were positive perceptions of grass-fed beef among participants who considered it to be healthier, natural and friendly to the environment compared to grain-fed.
65% of the respondents described the taste of Irish beef as “good”, “very good” or “excellent”.
The Irish product also outperformed Australian grass-fed beef across the attributes of colour, fat content, tenderness, taste and overall quality.