Japanese Companies Active in Brazil Today
Japanese companies in Brazil have continued to operate even amid the harsh conditions of the pandemic. As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to calm down and new values aimed at sustainability are required, this series will introduce the current status of Japanese companies active in Brazil. This is a project sponsored by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Brazil. Reprinted from the Newspaper Brasil Nippou.
Stories from this series
Part 14: Brazil Food Service, a company active in the South American agricultural and livestock industry
May 10, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
For the 14th installment, we spoke with Kenichi Kodera (66, Hokkaido), president of Brazil Food Services, who has a 40-year career in purchasing and exporting meat and seafood products in Asia and South America, and has been developing new agricultural and livestock businesses in South America for the past 34 years. To Chile and then to Brazil Mr. Kodera's connection with South America dates back to his youth. As a student, he was passionate about mountaineering as part of an …
Part 13: MN Propolis: Committed to taste and health
May 2, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 13th episode, we spoke with Norihito Matsuda (86, Gunma Prefecture), CEO of MN Propolis. The company continues to manufacture and sell high-quality propolis and beekeeping products that have undergone highly accurate food analysis, and today accounts for approximately 50% of the propolis products exported from Brazil to foreign countries. Organic soy sauce and miso made using traditional Japanese methods, born from President Matsuda's insatiable curiosity, are also selling well, and orders for ramen noodles in particular are soaring. …
Part 12: Iguazu Coffee—Loved by Locals and the World
April 24, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 12th episode, we speak with Toshiki Matsui, president of Iguazu Coffee, known as one of Brazil's most proud coffee companies. Brazilian Coffee with a Connection to the Japanese The company was established in 1967 with joint investment from major plantation owners, including the late Kunihiro Miyamoto (born 1916, Oita Prefecture), a businessman, agricultural manager and first president of the company, who immigrated to Argentina in 1934 and ran a coffee processing and rice milling plant with his brother …
Part 11: Panamedical Sistema, a company founded by a man who left his post in Japan
April 12, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In this 11th installment, we spoke with Katsuhide Itagaki (75, Hokkaido), president of Panamedical Sistema. In Brazil, it is not uncommon for companies, large or small, to open one after another, only to close within a few years, or even within a year. Among its peers, Panamedical Sistema is not surprised by the "appearance and disappearance" of its competitors, and has been unearthing unknown Japanese technology in the medical field for 33 years, exploring what it can do for Brazilian …
Part 10: Kikkoman Brazil: Delivering Deliciousness Globally
March 29, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 10th episode, we spoke with Hideyuki Ozaki, President of Kikkoman Brazil Commerce and Industry Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Kikkoman Brazil). The news that Kikkoman Brazil, a Brazilian subsidiary of Kikkoman Corporation, a leading Japanese soy sauce manufacturer, began selling honjozo soy sauce produced in Brazil in November 2021, is still fresh in our memory. The company's products, which are produced using soybeans and wheat as the main ingredients while maintaining traditional Japanese manufacturing methods and quality, have …
Part 9: NTT Limited: A global company
March 15, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the ninth episode, we spoke with Shinsuke Mizumori, Vice President of JMNC-LATAM at NTT Limited. The London-based company was established in 2019 through the merger of 31 companies, including NTT Communications, Dimension Data, and NTT Security. NTT has been active in Brazil for nearly half a century since opening its overseas office in Brasilia in 1974. Taking advantage of the services that NTT Communications has provided and the strengths of other companies, the company also provides global IT solution …