GULFOOD 2025 Delegation: Exploring Opportunities in the UAE’s Food and Agriculture Markets

JETRO Dubai hosted delegates for Gulfood 2025 from February 20th to 22nd, focusing on the UAE’s food and agriculture markets. JETRO led the visit of 11 Japanese companies specializing in these sectors.

On the first day, JETRO organized a UAE Food Market Briefing at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). Mr. Yomogida, a consultant at Cross Reach, delivered a lecture on the UAE food market. Cross Reach provides consulting services to support Japanese companies entering Middle Eastern and North African markets, as well as trading services focused on Japanese food products. Following the briefing, the delegation toured the Gulfood 2025 exhibition, conveniently located at the same venue.

On the second day, the delegation visited Deans Fujiya, the UAE’s first exclusive Japanese retail supermarket. Mr. Panikkan, Managing Director of Deans Fujiya, provided an overview of the UAE food market, discussed their product offerings, and led a tour of the store. The group then proceeded to TOMO, a luxury Japanese restaurant in Dubai, for lunch. Prior to the meal, Chef Takahashi briefed the delegates on the current status of Japanese restaurants in the UAE, including typical customer spending, popular menu items, and food import regulations.

Later, the delegation visited 1004 Gourmet, a Korean supermarket in Dubai that also offers a selection of Japanese products. Mr. Chang, CEO of 1004 Gourmet, provided insights into their product selection process and guided a tour of the store. The day concluded with a visit to the Mall of the Emirates, the second largest shopping mall in the UAE, where participants explored Japanese brand stores such as YOKU MOKU and YATSUDOKI (Chateraise), and visited Carrefour, the country’s largest hypermarket.

On the third day, the delegation traveled to Abu Dhabi for lunch at NIRI, a renowned sushi and grill restaurant. Before lunch, Chef Takemoto provided a briefing on the Japanese restaurant industry in the UAE, including how non-halal products are managed in kitchens and the sourcing of ingredients. Following lunch, the group visited the warehouse of Summit Trading, the largest Japanese food trading company in the UAE. Mr. Okubo, Managing Director of Summit Trading, delivered a presentation on their operations, food import regulations in the UAE, and their product lineup, followed by a warehouse tour.

The program concluded with a feedback session at the JETRO Dubai office, where participating companies shared their insights and reflections on the delegation experience.