Dutch marketer The Greenery's overseas export division, Greenery Produce, says it still sees good opportunities for growth in pepper sales to Japan, despite increasing competition from suppliers in South Korea.
Speaking exclusively toEurofruit, the group's sales manager Marianne van der Gragt said consumers in the Asian country had become more familiar with the vegetable and were using it more in their cooking.
'There has definitely been growth in the Japanese market for imported peppers over the past 20 years.' Van der Gragt commented.
'When exports to Japan started, theJapanese didn't really know the Western peppers, they onlyknew their own local Piman, but over time there has been a steady increase.'
Active in the market since 1993, Greenery Produce still supplies the lion's share of Dutch peppers sold in Japan, selling mainly to wholesalers who then pass them on to retail and foodservice customers.
Van der Gragt said demand for the product had continued to rise even despite Korea's market debut. 'Increased competition from Korea has in fact probably boosted the market in general,' she suggested. 'Korean peppers are sold at lower prices in Japan, because ours have to cover extra costs like airfreight.'
During a recent meeting held at the SieboldHuis Japan Museum in Leiden, in the Netherlands, growers were urged to continue implementing stringent processes and keep quality levels at their peak to maintain a point of difference against Korean product.
Attention also needed to be paid continually to pepper sizing, it was agreed, with Japanese consumers favouring 28-32 counts and sometime even smaller.
'There are always areas for improvement of course,' said Van der Gragt, 'but ourway of working with our Japanese customers ensures we have long-term relationships with our growers and as a result they are willing to put in the effort to ensure the quality is there.'
