"Japan is a good market for doing business and to acquire a good quality positioning, but it is also a risky market for those ‘cheaters’ who sell poor-quality products. This is because the quality standard in the Japanese market is very high. Consumers buy products when they recognize their value."
These are the words of Gianluca Bagnara, expert in the fruit and vegetable sector who was part of the mission led by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan, aimed at facilitating European agri-food exports to Japan.
Japan, the third largest economic power in the world, keeps gaining popularity among all Packing Houses that want to expand their business in a country with great economic resources, but also requiring very high quality standards.
The fruit and vegetable product capable of successfully penetrating the Japanese market and of meeting Consumer expectations strands out for its high quality, for its homogeneity within each individual package and for its coherence between different supplies.
The Unitec systems are able to sort fruit and vegetable products, even the smallest and most delicate ones, such as cherries and blueberries, in quality classes of Consistent Quality, at every supply and over time.
In fact, Unitec technologies are able to sort fruits based on a variety of quality parameters - such as internal and external quality, degree of softness, shape defects, and of course, weight, size and color - and to separate, for instance, "Premium" Quality products with very valuable organoleptic characteristics from those of medium range or intended for the food industry.
Alongside Consistent Quality within each supply and over time, it is also essential that the Japanese market, albeit far from the original place of production and processing receive perfectly intact fruits.
And this requirement is also satisfied by Unitec technology: the possibility guaranteed by Unitec technologies of separating overripe fruits from those characterized by an adequate level of maturation,prevents contamination of the "good" product and ensures that it reaches its destination in optimal conditions even after traveling many days.
Unitec in recent years has already allowed many Packing Houses from all over the world to export their fruit and vegetable products to countries in the Far East that are extremely demanding in terms of quality required.
The case of China is emblematic. Several Packing Houses from Latin America that have relied on Unitec technologies to sort their blueberries have been able to export their product to China, achieving great success and approval from Asian consumers.
Unitec President Angelo Benedetti looks to the future with optimism and confidence, expecting that soon the same phenomenon occurred in the Chinese market will also occur in Japan: "What happened in China will soon happen in Japan too. We are confident that Unitec technology is the best way to break down barriers and create new business opportunities! Forward-thinking entrepreneurs know this and we are ready to support them in their ambitious yet concrete growth projects, thanks to the strong increase in exports allowed by our technologies."