VegeProject Japan director Haruko Kawano has been participating as a vegetarian and vegan catering advisor for a project by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to improve hospitality for foreign travelers since 2019.
As part of this project, a Tasting & Networking event was held on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at Vision Center Hamamatsucho, targeting tourism-related businesses, including restaurants, accommodations, and retail stores in Tokyo.
Our organization cooperated in organizing this event, continuing from last year, and our representative served as a facilitator in the seminar held on the same day.
Networking, Tasting and Exhibition Event
At this event, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses explored vegetarian, vegan, and halal products, sampled offerings, and connected with manufacturers and trading companies for business discussions.
Our organization helped recruit businesses offering vegetarian and vegan products. On the event day, 16 companies with our vegan certification were among the exhibitors.
The booths featured a range of vegan products, including meat and dairy alternatives, ready-made meals, snacks, soups, business-use sauces, custard creams, and matcha paste for baking.
Seminar by Dining Industry Pioneers
On the same day, a seminar titled “Case Studies in Vegan and Plant-Based Dining” was held for business operators.
The seminar featured Hiroshi Hasegawa, Customer Experience Manager at the plant-based brand and restaurant chain 2foods, and chain store Soranoiro‘s CEO Chihiro Miyazaki, the earliest adopter of vegan ramen options in Japan. They shared case studies on the introduction of vegan menus in their stores, from inception to promotion, along with practical advice.
Our representative served as the facilitator for these sessions.
Mr. Hiroshi Hasegawa, Store-CX Manager at TWO Corporation
Mr. Chihiro Miyazaki, CEO of Soranoiro, with Haruko Kawano, Representative of VegeProject Japan
Participating Businesses Showcasing Vegan Products at the Matching Event (Listed Alphabetically, Honorifics Omitted)
DM KOKOKUSHA Co., Ltd.: Gluten-free rice pasta
Ethical Food Co., Ltd.: Plant-based minced meat, sausages
Farm Ohata: Shiitake mushroom-based products
Japan Food Science Co., Ltd.: Plant-based meats, Thai cuisine ingredients
Saniku Foods Co., Ltd.: Dairy-free white sauce, meat-free Bolognese sauce
Shuei Co., Ltd.: Retort hamburger
Tsukishima Food Industry Co., Ltd.: Vegan custard cream, whipped cream, other oils and fats
TableMark Co., Ltd.: Side dishes, bakery products
Nisshin Shokai Corp.: Various plant-based meats
Nihon Beauty Co., Ltd..: Commercial-use green juice
Maruzen Food Industry Co., Ltd.: Tonkotsu-style ramen soup
Melodian Co., Ltd.: Soups, snacks
Mirakuen Co., Ltd.: Retort hamburgers, ginger pork
Misohan Co., Ltd.: Noodles, soups