The food market in Japan is steeped in tradition and characterised by many intermediaries, and the company's Chairman of the Board and CEO Toshio Kawarabuki is thus one of the first in the foodservice sector to take the initiative to trade directly with Danish Crown.

For this reason, Mr Kawarabuki is now being presented with the Diploma of the Danish Export Association & HRH Prince Henrik's Medal of Honour. At a ceremony today, the award was presented by HRH Crown Prince Frederik and the Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs Anders Samuelsen, who are both in Japan for a large Danish export promotion campaign at the moment. Mr Kawarabuki is receiving the award for his role as initiator and the driving force behind the restaurant chain's large imports of Danish pork.

"Toshio Kawarabuki and his restaurant chain are a close customer and business partner for Danish Crown. This has also been the case in periods with low prices, when Toshio Kawarabuki has prioritised his stable collaboration with us rather than going with the suppliers who can push prices down the most," says Søren Tinggaard, Associate Vice President at Danish Crown.

100 employed in Ringsted

Mr Kawarabuki has been a Danish Crown customer for ten years. During this period, he and Danish Crown have developed their partnership, which today centres around processed products which are ready for use in the Japanese restaurants.

"We've created a special department at our factory in Ringsted, Denmark, which employs 100 people. In Ringsted, we've invested considerable resources in purchasing equipment and training employees, so that we can now deliver a number of special products to Matsuya Foods Co., Ltd, including certain cuts of meat and raw materials packed in portion sizes," says Mr Tinggaard.

Promising market for new customers

Danish Crown expects to continue its excellent cooperation with Mr Kawarabuki, and will also be looking at new distribution channels.

"We know there's a market for these types of products in Japan. We'll therefore try to use the concept that we've developed with Toshio Kawarabuki to establish partnerships with other players in the Japanese market," says Mr Tinggaard.

About the honorary medal

The HRH Prince Henrik Medal of Honour is awarded to individuals, distributors or Danish companies which are registered abroad. The medal is awarded in recognition of outstanding efforts to promote the sale of Danish products and services abroad over a number of years.