THE COZY COUPLE: NATURAL CHEESE AND OLIVE OIL FROM EUROPE

"The cozy couple: natural cheese and olive oil from Europe" project, promoted by the Portuguese chamber of commerce in Japan, was set up with the aim of raising awareness about the merits of EU agricultural products and increasing exports by promoting the chosen testimonial products, olive oil and natural cheese, in a strategic market such as Japan, identified as priorities by the annual work 2021. Olive oil and cheese are two European foods with high added value that have great potential for the Japanese market. The project will therefore work on four main targets (consumers, media, horeca and wholesalers) with two different levels of intensity and gradualness over the two-year period: the first year will focus on awareness and "creating the demand" (informing consumers, involving trend-setting chefs in the creation of online content/recipes, sponsoring high-visibility events such as the Portuguese day) and on laying the foundations for imports (participation in trade fairs, seminars/guided tastings with the trade, also involving relevant associations such as the olive oil sommelier association of Japan). In the second year, the project will aim to consolidate the positioning and increase intake by working above all on the possibility of tasting and on the availability of the products with activities such as restaurant weeks and tasting days in department stores. Considering the economic return, in addition to the ROI, the number of new companies that will start export activities in Japan is a particularly significant indicator.
The role of the proposing organization and the co-funding of the EU are indispensable triggers to offer new opportunities and business prospects even to the smallest and least structured companies, which represent most of these products of excellence.