Promoting the Appeal and Value of Olive Beef/Wagyu to the World
Olive beef, an extremely small-scale production among Japanese wagyu, was at a disadvantage in the domestic market alone. Upon receiving a consultation about potential overseas market development, we expanded into international distribution channels and developed educational promotion activities to convey its appeal and value. Our focus was on developing messaging and activities based on “local perspectives.” At that time, even the meaning of “WAGYU” was not correctly understood internationally – only Japanese people recognized “WAGYU = Japanese beef,” while in Western countries, people wondered if it was a place name or brand name. Since non-Japanese wagyu like “American Wagyu” had begun to circulate, we anticipated increasing misconceptions, making it urgent to communicate the definition and value of wagyu from a local perspective.
We first targeted the United States, a major meat-consuming country, and engaged meat specialists from “Eater,” a highly recognized and trusted food media outlet, to create videos clarifying misconceptions about WAGYU while promoting its appeal. We distributed these globally and submitted them to film festivals to reach not only food professionals but general consumers as well. In parallel, we pursued sustainable export channels, conducting business negotiations with non-Japanese (American) importers and wholesalers. Though working with Japanese trading companies would have been easier, we deliberately chose the more difficult path as Olive beef’s small scale would likely lead to price competition and short-term transactions through Japanese companies dealing with larger volumes of wagyu.
After persistent visits to the US and negotiations, we secured a deal with a reliable American trading company three years later, which has resulted in continued exports for many years. Thanks to our promotional efforts, Olive beef is now recognized as “high-value rare wagyu with lighter fat that’s easier for Westerners to eat” and is used by top chefs.