Import agency
Hand us the whole import
From finding a supplier abroad through price negotiation, contracting, shipping, customs and delivery in Japan. This is for companies that want to start importing without putting a trade specialist on the payroll.
What people usually come to us with
- We want to buy a raw material abroad but nobody here handles trade
- We know which overseas manufacturer we want, but not how the import side works
- We want to import a food or chemical raw material and are unsure about the Food Sanitation Act filings
- Our current import agent is not giving us what we need
- We want to buy from the Middle East or Asia but do not know how business is done there
- We want to start small and cannot find a trading house willing to take it on
What we take on
You can hand over the whole thing or just part of it. If you already have a supplier, we can handle only the procedural side.
Finding suppliers
We work from your product and specification, draw up a list of candidate manufacturers and suppliers, and check that they exist and have a trading record before we put them in front of you.
Quotes and negotiation
We collect quotes from several sources and set them out so you can compare them. We negotiate on volume and packaging where there is room to.
Contract and order
Sale contract, Incoterm, payment terms. Where a counterparty carries obvious prepayment risk, we say so before you commit.
Shipping
Freight, insurance, container booking, and cold chain where the product needs it.
Customs and compliance
Import declaration, Food Sanitation Act filings, and CITES procedures for products that fall under them.
Delivery in Japan
Domestic transport after clearance, and short-term storage when you need it.
What we import
Food raw materials and additives
Ingredients and additives for manufacturers, delivered with specification sheets and certificates of analysis.
Industrial chemical raw materials
Chemical raw materials for industrial use. Tell us the application and the standard and we will find a source that meets it.
Premium foods
Imports for restaurants, hotels and specialty retail. Our own brand TIRAN sits in this category.
Common questions
What does it cost?
It depends on the product, volume, shipping method and which filings are needed, so we do not publish a flat rate. Tell us what you are after and we will send a quotation with the cost broken down.
Can we talk to you before we have a supplier?
Yes, and that is how most inquiries start. Give us the product, specification and rough volume and we will go and find candidates.
Will you handle small volumes?
You can start with a sample or a small lot. Freight makes up a larger share of the cost at that size, so the unit price is higher than on a full container. We will tell you that upfront.
We have never imported food before. Where do we start?
With whether the product can legally be imported at all. Send us the ingredients and how it is made, and we will tell you how it is treated under the Food Sanitation Act and what filings it needs.
Which countries do you import from?
Mainly Asia, the Middle East and Europe. There is a separate page covering our Middle East work.
Tell us what you need
Send the specification and we will come back with what we can source, what it will take to clear it, and how it would ship.