They try it, they like it, they buy it
Mar 15, 2021
TOKYO – Sales of U.S. rice at the 28 Costco stores in Japan have gained momentum this year as a result of USA Rice promotion efforts. U.S. rice imported under the Simultaneous-Buy-Sell (SBS) tendering system allows U.S.-origin rice to reach the Japanese consumer, and these 5-kilogram packages are the first U.S. rice product that is milled and packaged in the U.S. for direct sale to consumers in Japan. Imports by Costco in the 2020 SBS system grew by 83 percent over 2019 crop year imports.
“We believe this high volume will keep U.S. rice on Costco’s grocery shelves here for the remainder of 2021 until SBS tenders resume later this year,” said Jim Guinn, USA Rice director of Asia promotion programs. “This in-store promotion allowed consumers to actually sample U.S.-grown rice and it definitely made an impression, solidifying the high-quality image of U.S. rice for consumers as evidenced by the steady sales growth.”
Costco also has introduced a microwavable package of pre-cooked U.S. rice and sales have been brisk.
“The manufacturer of the cooked rice product was so impressed with the quality of the U.S. rice product they manufactured for Costco, that they intend to launch the product at other retail outlets,” said Guinn.
Total purchases of U.S. rice under the 2020 SBS system was 37,485 MT, amounting to 68 percent of all rice imported under the SBS system.