BioFach Japan and Natural Expo 2008

242 exhibitors from 24 countries presented their latest product developments and trends to 14,519 delighted visitors at BioFach Japan and Natural Expo in the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre from 24-26 September 2008. New exhibition segments were created in 2008 for the trend ranges of natural personal care and natural textiles. 15 exhibitors from the textile segment presented their latest creations in Cotton Street and the Natural Personal Care Area attracted 29 exhibitors of natural personal care products. 25 winegrowers presented their wines from certified organic grapes to an interested professional audience in the Organic Wine Pavilion.

BioFach occupied 1,505 ²m of space this year, which corresponds to 6 % more. Besides the host country Japan, there was a particularly strong presence of exhibitors from Germany, Austria, Australia, Mexico and Thailand this year. Newcomers in 2008 were Costa Rica, Madagascar and New Zealand.

“Highly satisfied exhibitors and delighted visitors - BioFach Japan was convincing in all its facets for the eighth time. We are very pleased about the constantly high quality of the trade visitors and the many reports of international sales transactions from our exhibitors,” says Frank Venjakob, Director Events at Nürnberg Global Fairs, the organizer of the exhibition duo. Yeonsoon Bourke, Marketing Director Australian Honey Products and exhibitor in the Australian Sunshine Pavilion, also confirmed good business contacts: “We are very impressed by the exhibition and the good talks here. Around a quarter of the visitors on our stand were international, mainly from Taiwan, India and Korea.”
 

Natural personal care and natural textiles are two of the trend themes in the Japanese market. The sales volume of the total Japanese cosmetics market holds second place in the world after the USA. Cosmetics producers turned over some 22 billion US dollars in Japan in 2007. The certified natural personal care segment achieved a sales volume of 585 million EUR in 2008, according to Natalie Nonaka, Marketing Creator at Weleda of Japan. Market experts estimate the market share of Asian natural personal care, near-natural cosmetic products and certified organic natural personal care in Japan at approx. 4 %. In the Natural Personal Care Area at BioFach Japan 2008, 29 producers of natural beauty care presented their products for buyers from the trade. “We meet all our key customers here, so we can cultivate business relationships,” says a delighted Chie Yumihari of Semins / Logona Japan, sales partner of the German natural personal care company Logocos.
 

The natural textiles segment also impressed with a striking presentation in Cotton Street at BioFach Japan. 15 exhibitors presented textile creations for men and women in addition to baby clothing. The worldwide demand for organic cotton is growing: An increasing number of companies from small designer labels to globally operating fashion firms are backing organic cotton, linen, silk, bamboo fibres or hemp. Present at the exhibition again was the Japan Organic Cotton Association. Akira Hibi, the chairman of the association of currently 150 members, explicitly confirmed the continuously growing demand for natural textiles in Japan.

The second edition of the Organic Wine Pavilion was convincing. The pavilion attracted 25 winegrowers in 2008. “It was super; we had intensive sales talks, transacted international sales and found importers for two winegrowers. BioFach Japan was again a complete success for us,” sums up Jürgen Schmücking of BioAustria. The Austrian association was present in this year’s Organic Wine Pavilion with 10 winegrowers.
 

The next BioFach Japan and Natural Expo take place in the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre from 7-9 October 2009.
 

www.nuernbergglobalfairs.com