From December 2020 to March 2021, RESOBOX held Online Business Meetings to connect small Japanese food companies in the Kyushu area with retail buyers and chefs in New York City.

Twenty food and liquor manufacturers participated with a wide variety of products, such as shiitake mushrooms, natto powder, and sesame seeds. On the New York side, the eight participants included buyers for high-end supermarkets, the president of a significant Chinese wholesaler, a liquor store owner, a famous bartender, and a Michelin-starred chef. More than 50 online business meetings were held in two months, and despite the Covid situation, remarkable results were achieved.

Top NY Chefs Promote Japanese Ingredients

Following the success of the business meetings, RESOBOX held three Online Cooking Events in late March 2021 to further promote the many qualities of these Japanese products to the American public.

The three chefs who worked with us for these events, Michelin-starred chef George Mendes, Iron Chef Jehangir Mehta, and top Italian chef Michele Casadei Massari, created recipes using these products that were meant to appeal to American audiences. During the Zoom events, each chef introduced the products and recipes and demonstrated how to prepare and taste them. These events were excellent opportunities for the audience to learn how to cook and utilize new ingredients in their food.

After each event, we received many inquiries and orders for our products from New Yorkers and people in the food and beverage industry, and the event served as a foothold to introduce carefully crafted products from Japan to a wide range of people in the U.S.

RESOBOX has strong connections with Japanese manufacturers and producers of healthy and traditional foods and seasonings, artisanal and innovative processed foods, sake, etc. Whether you are a retailer, restaurant owner, chef, or pastry chef in the U.S., if you’re looking for a new ingredient to impress your clientele and shake up your business, please contact us.