Many small- and medium-size food and beverage companies, particularly in Japan, have taken notice of a promising opportunity in the growing market for Asian food around the world, including in the United States, where the population of Asians continues to increase.
Based in Torrance in Los Angeles County, AKT Trading Inc. has introduced many products that satisfy Americans’ craving for Japanese food across the country.
“This has always been my dream: to further serve as a bridge between the two cultures,” said AKT Trading Inc. President Akikazu Kimura, who aims to become a behind-the-scenes ambassador for Japanese food in the United States.
Starting out as a wholesaler and importer to Japanese grocery chains in the United States, AKT now also distributes assorted imported USDA Organic Asian food products through mainstream grocery chains across the United States and sells various non-food products via the online retail giant Amazon.com.
Kimura stressed that AKT Trading’s partnership with logistics company Nippon Express, via its Cross-border EC Express Service, allowed his business to establish a reputation as a reliable importer and supplier of more than 100 non-food products via Japan Global Network, its store on Amazon.com only in the U.S.
Looking toward the future, AKT Trading hopes to play a prominent and active role in promoting nutritional food and healthy eating habits.
“We need more education on how Japanese food is beneficial to one’s health, especially in the U.S. market,” said Kimura, who wants to expand his distribution market from just over 100 outlets to 1,000 outlets in the next few years and help other Japanese entrepreneurs wanting to enter the American market.
“A lot of Japanese companies are conservative. But to succeed here, you need to be more aggressive and AKT Trading can serve as the gateway and platform to do so,” he added.
