A page featuring products from nine South Australian food and beverage makers will go live on Rakuten in Japan on Friday after the marketplace platform sealed a partnership with the South Australian government.
Rakuten is Japan’s second-largest marketplace, behind Amazon, and the deal will put South Australian brands before an estimated 111 million Japanese consumers.
Some 400 products including pet food, honey and wine will be listed on the new Tasting South Australia page, with participating companies including NovaFarms, Buzz Honey, Hither & Yon, Prohibition Liquor Co, Southern Kuya, Apiwraps and Pet Snacks. They will join around 2100 South Australian products from about 70 companies already featured on the site, including 50 wineries.
“Along with the first-mover advantage on Japan’s premium e-commerce platform, we are seeking to establish our own unique footprint in the Japanese market,” said South Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Nick Champion.
“South Australia will be the first Australian jurisdiction with a standalone designated page that showcases the very best of our state’s premium wine, beer, gin, honey, almonds, seafood, sweets, spreads and pet food, along with fashion and beauty products.
“With that increase comes an anticipation that this initiative will yield an increase in the value of our export sales into the Japanese market,” he said.
According to Champion, Japan is the state’s fifth-largest export market accounting for about $700 million in annual value.
