A NSW Government website

Food & Beverage to Japan

Now in its 50th year, FOODEX is Japan’s oldest and most established trade-only food and beverage (F&B) tradeshow. It is the largest annual gathering of F&B professionals in Japan that provides unparalleled opportunity to promote your brand, collect feedback on your products, and identify potential importers and distributors.

About the event

In 2024, FOODEX JAPAN attracted over 2,800 companies and more than 76,000 trade visitors from around the world. It is one of the largest F&B shows in Asia and Japan’s largest international F&B trade event.

FOODEX 2025External Link  will run over four days from Mar 11 – Mar 14 2025.

Investment NSW has secured space at the event that will allow NSW businesses to showcase their products in a 1m2 pod (final size to be confirmed based on number of participants). Investment NSW invites applications from eligible NSW businesses to participate or showcase their products at the event.

Key dates

  • Samples will need to arrive in Japan no later than 28 February 2025
  • FOODEX Showcase dates 11 – 14th March 2025 

In-person attendance by company representatives is optional and not compulsory. Investment NSW will manage sampling, capture feedback, leads and inquiries from the event to share with businesses that are not attending in person. 

Who should participate

NSW businesses that are established exporters of food & beverage products and are committed to developing or growing sales into Japan. This opportunity is open to brands that are already being sold in Japan as well as those that are new to market. 

The following sectors are consistent with current demand trends: 

  • Unique, Authentic / Indigenous, Innovative F&B products 
  • Health and wellness F&B 
  • Plant based and alternative foods  
  • Snacks and confectionery 
  • Wine 
  • Ambient or frozen products with at least 12 months shelf life  

Why you should participate

FOODEX is the major F&B trade event in Japan and offers:

  • Opportunities to identify and engage with new partners and customers in Japan 
  • Receive feedback from in market industry representatives on how your product meets Japanese consumer expectations 
  • Promote your brand at the leading F&B tradeshow in Japan 
  • Receive tailored support from onshore and offshore Investment NSW government representatives to support your approach to Japan

Eligibility

Applicant businesses must: 

  • Have headquarters in NSW (or demonstrated footprint in NSW and business activity that benefits NSW) 
  • Have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN) registered for NSW (or business activity that demonstrates benefit to NSW) 
  • The product or service must be produced primarily in NSW (or demonstrated footprint in NSW and business activity that benefits NSW) 
  • The applicant business produces and owns its own brand (not aggregators or traders) 
  • Already have experience in exporting the product or service to overseas markets, ideally across the equator to the Northern Hemisphere 
  • Be capable of providing indicative pricing in FOB terms 
  • Be capable of sending up samples in Delivered Duty Paid (DPP) terms via international courier services 
  • Nominate a product/s that are Japan compatible (detailed ingredient checks may be required for certain products) 

What is included

Investment NSW will support the exhibition costs to be part of the NSW booth at FOODEX 2025, which includes: 

  • Pre-event briefing and preparations 
  • A 1m2 space within the dedicated Investment NSW 54m2 stand to promote your offering, provide sampling and engage with interested parties
  • Printed and digital promotion in Investment NSW’s Exhibitor Directory
  • In-market support from Investment NSW’s Trade and Investment Director, Japan 
  • Ongoing one-to-one support with a dedicated Investment NSW Export Advisor following the conclusion of the program
  • Networking event and store visits (subject to participants)

What’s not included 

Investment NSW will only pay for standard 1m2 stand space. Any additional costs will not be covered including: 

  • Airfares 
  • Accommodation  
  • Travel insurance 
  • Visas 
  • Meals  
  • Ground transport  
  • Any costs associated with freight for product samples 
  • Any additional costs that are considered out of scope of the core offer 

Your commitments as a participant

  • Successful applicants do not need to travel to Japan, but are welcome to attend if they can. 
  • You will need to arrange to have samples of your products shipped to Japan and delivered to our storage facility no later than 28 Feb 2025.  
  • All costs to deliver to our storage facility are your responsibility (DDP Tokyo). 
  • Participants will be required to submit detailed spec sheets (recipe breakdown) in a designated format, which include the production process flow. This is a legal requirement for sampling in Japan. 
  • Participants will be required to complete and submit a one pager flyer per sku (template to be provided) that includes critical information. (USPs, indicative pricing in FOB, shelf life, MOQ, exporting status etc.) 
  • Participants will be required to cooperate in post-show periodic interviews regarding the progress of business negotiations and details of the deals made. 
  • If your application is successful, we will provide you with full details of next steps. 

Apply now

Apply now

Applications open on 1 November 2024 and close on 1 December 2024. 

An acceptance letter will be sent to the successful applicant with the participation terms and conditions.  All applicants must meet core eligibility criteria. An Investment NSW evaluation panel will assess all applications and nominate applicants based on the information submitted in their EOI.

Contact 

For any further information, please contact: 

Fumio Shinohara: [email protected]