水の時計

mizu no tokei

A charming coffee shop in Kurobe city is making ​waves by exporting its unique coffee-related ​products abroad. Hearing this, many might ​exclaim, "There's such a place in Kurobe?!" The ​shop, named "Mizu no Tokei," is operated by ​Kitayama Products Co. President Akira Kitayama ​envisioned selling their distinctive coffee not just ​in the capital area but also internationally back ​in 2015. This vision followed their selection for a ​regional resource fund project, prompting them ​to advance product development. They created a ​cold brew coffee, steeped for over 10 hours in ​Kurobe's renowned waters (known as Dutch ​coffee), and a cafe au lait based on this coffee. ​They also developed sweets like spicy treats and ​chocolate-covered coffee beans. The following ​year, they explored these creations' sales ​potential in the capital region and even visited ​Hong Kong to assess export possibilities.

"More people are enjoying coffee in China and South ​Korea, and the number of cafes is gradually ​increasing. Since Hong Kong has more British ​influence than mainland China or Korea, I thought

it would be a good place to start,"

said Kitayama shachou.

After returning from his inspection trip, Mr. ​Kitayama, with the support of the prefecture, ​participated in the "Hong Kong International Food ​Fair Food Expo 2016." A Hong Kong buyer with ​branches in Japan showed interest in their coffee, ​leading to test sales at premium food supermarkets. ​It's rare for a first-time exhibitor to develop

customer relationships so quickly. Seeing this as an ​opportunity, President Kitayama next participated

in the overseas buyer invitation business meeting

(2016 fiscal year), organized

cooperatively by Toyama, Gifu, and Nagano ​prefectures. He held discussions with buyers from ​five companies across four regions—Singapore,

Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Malaysia—and later ​conducted a test sale in a department store in ​Singapore.

Kitayama shachou, having actively participated ​in trade shows organized by governments, their ​agencies, and financial institutions, and having ​repeatedly engaged in negotiations with foreign ​buyers, shared his insights based on these ​experiences:

"One of the advantages of participating in ​overseas exhibitions and negotiation meetings ​with the support of public aid is that you don’t ​have to worry about interpretation. With an ​interpreter, you can accurately understand the ​transaction conditions right from the start.

A key point for me is whether the buyer has a ​business base in Japan. If they do,

it’s possible to leave the trade administration

to the buyer’s side. Since we operate with limited

personnel, such points are crucial for small and ​medium-sized enterprises to consider."