By AKIRA NEMOTO/ Staff Writer
July 23, 2021 at 07:00 JST
Confectionery maker Imuraya Group Co. will release new Azuki Bar frozen treats tailored for overseas markets in Malaysia come September in a new expansion effort.
The company has exported its Azuki Bar products made for Japanese consumers to foreign markets. It will be the first time that its core product will be manufactured by an affiliate outside Japan.
“The Azuki Bar is well known in Japan,” a representative said. “We hope it will become synonymous with ice pops in Malaysia as well.”
Imuraya aims to use Malaysia as a foothold to offer its new products in other Southeast Asian countries.
Released under the name of the Imuraya Azuki Bar, the frozen treats will be available at supermarkets and through other channels in three flavors: adzuki bean, matcha powdered green tea and milk.
They will be made from halal-certified ingredients and will be mildly sweet to fit local preferences.
According to Imuraya, most of the ice pops sold in Malaysia are priced at around 30 yen (27 cents). But the company is raising the bar, pricing its new products at around 120 yen.
Imuraya plans to increase its overseas sales ratio to 7.5 percent by fiscal 2023 from 5.4 percent in fiscal 2020. It has been exporting Azuki Bar frozen treats overseas, while manufacturing and selling other sweets in the United States and China.
The Azuki Bar series sold a record 290 million units in Japan and abroad in fiscal 2020, boosted by demand from consumers stuck at home due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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A box set of Azuki Bar frozen treats sold in Japan (Provided by Imuraya Group Co.)
