Marutou’s route to France began with ingredients and food-safety systems
International business story | A multi-year food-safety and ingredient programme preceded three buyer deals and repeat container orders documented in 2026.
Editorial desk
JETRO’s 24 September 2026 case documents Marutou Bussan Hanbai’s multi-year preparation for exports to France and other EU markets. Three buyer negotiations produced deals, followed by container and repeat orders. Individual transaction dates were not given.
The Beppu maker of langue-de-chat biscuits first tried a Hong Kong food fair roughly ten years earlier without the expected outcome. A Thai retail chain would not even enter talks without food-safety certification. These are difficulties recorded in the case, not invented setbacks.
The initial priority was the United States. Food-safety planning and FDA/FSMA preparations preceded a deal with a major Japanese supermarket. The buyer checked compliance readiness alongside quality and ingredients; the products continued selling there, without a disclosed sales figure.
Marutou spent several years obtaining FSSC22000 certification. The case associates its strengthened systems with smoother negotiations and container-scale Thai exports. This specific experience is not a guarantee of orders or a substitute for other products’ import requirements.
For Europe, the company researched requirements and spent years sourcing suitable EU-approved eggs and dairy ingredients. Product development then took about six months. All three local buyer negotiations resulted in deals and an importer relationship, enabling EU exports including France.
Overall export sales grew from approximately ¥7 million at the start of support to over ¥100 million. The source records 40-foot-container orders and repeat business, not France-only revenue or profit. A new factory was being built amid stronger domestic and overseas demand; deeper EU sales remained a future objective.
Sources
Some images in this article are generated illustrations.