nice to meet you. My name is Hiroyuki Myojin from Japan. First of all, I would like to introduce myself. I was born in July 1946 in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. This area has long been a thriving bonito pole-and-line fishery, and my family is also a boat owner who has operated a bonito pole-and-line fishery for over 200 years. I graduated from a local high school and went to university in Tokyo, and at my father’s request, I got a job at Myojin Maru and worked in its management.
In 1986, when he was 40 years old, he told his father, who was the company’s president, that “Management based on fishing is unstable due to nature. Did. As a result, the processing division’s business size grew to 2.3 billion yen in 10 years.
However, sensing the limits of local management, he built a new factory in Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan’s number one landing port for bonito, and established Tosa Katsuo Suisan Co., Ltd. with his only son, who had returned from studying abroad in the United States, and his family. ” was established. Tosa Katsuo Suisan’s straw-grilled bonito tataki, which is made from 100% extremely fresh “pole-and-line bonito,” has received overwhelming support from consumers and has grown to a scale of 5 billion yen in 15 years, making it the number one bonito processing company in Japan. became. In the process, we obtained an international patent for the “Straw-grilled Tataki manufacturing method”.
Japan has entered an era of deflation, and amidst the demands of retailers and consumers who place more emphasis on price than quality, the idea of his son, Hiromune, was born in England to protect and promote fishing resources and sustainable fishing methods on a global scale. In 2006, Tosa Katsuo Suisan Co., Ltd. became the first company in the world to receive the MSC Fisheries Certification for its bonito pole-and-line fishing method. Approximately 50,000 tons of “MSC Fisheries Certified” coastal bonito are landed at Kesennuma Port each year, but the price of the fish has been unstable due to the landing environment, often falling below 200 yen per kilogram.
When we consulted with the Kanto Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry about how to overcome this predicament, we evaluated the “MSC Fisheries Certification.” It is possible to export the product if it is commercialized as a canned product for Europe and America. After learning that there was a bonito canning company affiliated with ITOCHU Corporation in Kesennuma that could process over 20,000 tons of canned bonito a year, they formed a business plan with them and began canning 10,000 tons of bonito. He planned the transformation.
However, the contract was concluded with Itochu Corporation on March 11, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. It was the day of the Tohoku Pacific Coast Earthquake, and the landing wharf, cold storage, and canning factory at Kesennuma Port were all washed away, and our business plans were wiped out. On top of that, my son, who had staked his life along with me on the survival of the pole-and-line bonito fishing'' passed down from our ancestors throughMSC certified bonito,” passed away in a sudden accident in 2009. Due to various circumstances, we closed down our bonito processing business in Yaizu Port, Shizuoka Prefecture in 2012.
The Garlic Steak'' product developed by his son during his lifetime won theMinister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award,” and the manufacturing method was published as an international patent in August 2013, so he wants to leave behind proof of his son’s life. . I discussed this idea with my friend, a JETRO advisor, and he decided to share it with the world on the JETRO TTPP page, which led to my visit to VASEP in Vietnam.
I visited VASEP in Ho Chi Minh City and learned that more than 2 million tons of Vietnamese pangasius (catfish) are produced annually. This white fish has great potential as a product, and by utilizing the “garlic steak” processing technology developed by his son Hiromune, it is possible to develop processed surimi products that have a global demand of 1 million tons. After several years of research, I applied for a patent for the “method and apparatus for manufacturing fish paste products.”
This patented technology has developed a heating method that brings out the “gel strength” that is evaluated for “surimi”, achieving SA and FA grades, and achieving an overwhelming hydration effect. And the whiteness of surimi'' is the best whiteness, due to the color of Pangasius himself. The last thing left behind was the unique "fish odor" elimination technology for freshwater fish, and we utilized the seafood processing knowledge of Meihiro Foods Co., Ltd. to make it odorless. Pangasius from Vietnam is grown under ASC aquaculture certification and manufactured at an EUHACCP factory, in response to the depletion of sea fish resources, which appeals to the UN's SDG goal number 14,The richness of the oceans.”
With the expansion of Vietnam’s surimi sales business in Japan, we have received many inquiries from people involved in the seafood industry regarding our sales capabilities both domestically and internationally.
Additionally, we received a request from people involved in aquaculture in Sukumo City, Kochi Prefecture to participate in a project to improve the value of farmed yellowtail in Sukumo Bay. In line with this, we have developed technology to increase the added value of yellowtail, and have filed a patent application for a “method for manufacturing frozen fish products.”
This patented technology is a freezing method that instantly freezes yellowtail from autumn to spring, which is rich in fat and has good quality, and preserves its quality.
In the future, I will work to improve the value of Sukumo Bay-farmed yellowtail by leveraging the skills I have cultivated in the bonito and tuna processing business.
We will propose these products to people all over the world as ingredients that meet the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). We appreciate your cooperation and support.
May 17, 2024
Hiroyuki Myojin President and Representative Director Meiko Foods Co.
806-5 Saga, Kuroshio-cho, Hata-gun, Kochi 789-1720, Japan
Tel:+81-880-55-3881 Fax:+81-880-55-3885 Mobile:+81-80-2975-7443
Email:h-myojin＠iwk.ne.jp Skype:HIROYUKI MYOJIN
https://meikoshokuhin.co.jp/
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