BioFach Japan 2007 closing report

BioFach Japan 2007 was an eldorado for organic wines. Over 2,000 glasses of top-quality organic wines were tasted on the three days of the exhibition from 10-12 October. The exhibitors in the Organic Wine Pavilion, which celebrated its premiere in Tokyo this year, were extremely satisfied with the interest shown. Likewise the altogether 208 exhibitors from 19 countries who received the around 15,450 experts from production, processing and trade at the seventh BioFach Japan in the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre. The successful three-day Trade Fair for Organic Food and Natural Products closed on 12 October. More than 36 % of the exhibitors have already decided to be there again in Tokyo from 24-26 September 2008.

Picture: Organic Wine Pavilion

Two market segments were particularly in the limelight at this year’s BioFach Japan: natural personal care and organic wine. The latter segment was excellently accommodated in the Organic Wine Pavilion. The visitors from the trade, including buyers and decision-makers from large trading companies and the trade press, were highly interested, as there had never been such a platform in Japan for organic wines from Europe. “Organic wine has received a lot of attention,” says Frank Venjakob, Director Events at Nürnberg Global Fairs. The theme pavilion attracted a very positive response among exhibitors and visitors right from the start. The key topic was supported by a wine seminar and a sushi evening with selected organic wines, which also went down very well.

Jan Kux, Export Manager at Peter Riegel Weinimport of Orsingen in Germany, described BioFach Japan as rewarding. “The exhibition is outstandingly organized and the visitors are very competent. Another advantage is that Japanese import regulations for alcoholic drinks are very simple. The conditions for trade are very favourable.” Kux also notices a growing interest in European wine culture in the catering and retail trade in Japan.

Together with organic food, the Organic Wine Pavilion occupied two thirds of this year’s display area. The total area of BioFach Japan has increased by 21 % over the previous year to some 1,400 square metres. Japan was represented by 73 exhibitors. Second and third places were occupied by Germany with 29 and Austria with 26 exhibitors. Newcomers at this year’s exhibition were Guatemala, Canada, Croatia, Mexico and Poland.

BioFach Japan is developing into an important platform for international organic companies, which see promising future prospects in the attractive Japanese organic food market. The number of non-Japanese exhibitors grew by some 30 % compared with 2005. The conditions for entering the Japanese organic market are favourable, as the degree of self-sufficiency for organic products is very low in Japan. This is due to such factors as the low organic agricultural production on an area of only around 30,000 hectares. There are also still too few processing companies. The present solution for Japan is to import organic products.

A third of the display area was reserved for natural personal care, the second main segment at BioFach Japan. Here the visitors found products such as baby clothing and cuddly toys in addition to natural personal care, drugstore and household articles and products of organic cotton. On the international side, the German manufacturers Dr. Hauschka, Logona, Speick and Tautropfen were represented in the natural personal care segment, plus the Swiss natural personal care companies Farfalla and Rentsch. The German company Argand´Or presented its line of cosmetics with precious Moroccan argan oil. Many manufacturers already cooperate with importers and were present at BioFach Japan through their employees.

Besides natural personal care, the non-food ranges for environment- and health-conscious consumers received a lot of attention. Wolfgang Mock, founder of Komo corn mills, is pleased about the good frequency of visitors on his stand: “BioFach Japan was an impressive experience and I see good prospects in the Japanese market. We will be here again next year.”

International companies can present their products to experts in the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre again next year from 24-26 September 2008. It is already certain that there will again be a German pavilion and the Organic Wine Pavilion at BioFach Japan in 2008.

Other BioFach events: 

• BioFach and Vivaness, Nürnberg 21-24 February 2008
• BioFach China, Shanghai 29-31 May 2008
• BioFach Japan, Tokyo 24-26 September 2008
• BioFach America, Boston 16-18 October 2008
• BioFach América Latina/Expo Sustentat, São Paulo  23-25 October 2008