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TOKYO, Japan – For 10 consecutive years, gyoza (Japanese-style dumplings) manufactured by Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc. has been the number one in Japan’s household-use frozen food product market. Now, the company will be focusing efforts at drumming up sales for the product in Europe. It will begin consignment production of restaurant-use frozen gyoza at JAWO Sp.z o.o. in Poland in June 2013.
Double-digit year-on-year growth in sales in Europe to JPY 1.2 billion is forecast for fiscal 2013, and Ajinomoto aims to double sales by fiscal 2016. Its net sales for fiscal 2012 were JPY 114.8 billion, of which overseas sales accounted for more than JPY 10.0 billion. The company is aiming for a double-digit overseas sales ratio through the expansion of its European operations.
In recent years, Europe has shown a keener interest in Japanese food as seen in the growing number of restaurants offering Japanese food – some 8,000 of them, according to the company. Gyoza remains a popular dish.
The company has been importing gyoza, kara-age (Japanese-style fried chicken) and other products for the European market from an Ajinomoto Group company in Thailand since 2005, but European import restrictions on products using pork, tariffs and distribution costs became issues. Hence, the establishment of the European production base.
To build a rapid production system that responds to local needs, the company will consign production of gyoza to JAWO, a top manufacturer of frozen pierogi (Polish dumplings made with meat, vegetables, cheese and other fillings wrapped in thick dough ), in addition to its current imports from Thailand. As the ingredients and production method of pierogi, a principal product of JAWO, are similar to those of gyoza, synergy can be expected in the areas of equipment and procurement of raw materials.