Barkers cracks the Japanese market

Press, 12 July 1985, Page 25

Barkers cracks the Japanese market

The blackcurrant juice of Barkers Wines, Ltd of Geraldine, has broken into the Japanese market but faces a slow battle for acceptance, according to a marketing director of Barkers, Mr Michael Mellon. He has just returned from a visit to Australia and South East Asia promoting Barkers blackcurrant juice and cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur. Mr Mellon, the Christchurch management consultant and visiting lecturer at the University of Canterbury, who appears to thrive on a challenge, said that getting blackcurrant juice into Japan was a major breakthrough for New Zealand horticultural exports.

The blackcurrant was virtually unknown in Japan, except as kuro suguri, grown in the Nagano Prefecture. Other New Zealand exporters had written the market off as one of low potential but the fruit had recently been placed by the Japanese Government on its liberalised trade list. But Barkers still faced considerable administrative obstacles and testing procedures, to. be overcome said Mr Mellon.

The Japanese distributor, selected by Barkers because of a commitment to New Zealand products which were new on the Japanese market, such as kiwifruit wine, persisted with the authorities and eventually secured a clearance. “The Japanese were mystified by the air-tightness technique on Barkers’ bottles,” said Mr Mellon. “It is a unique process developed by Mr Anthony Barker, of Geraldine, the principal of the company. “We have had to guarantee a shelf life of two years compared with the six months guarantee of other, international aseptic packaging systems. “They searched for preservatives and additives but found none,” he said.

“We will have to pay 35 per cent import duty and 5 per cent import tax, which is the highest rate, because it is a new imported product.

“It will now be up to the New Zealand Government to negotiate a tariff listing

at a more favourable rate. “It will be called New Zealand blackcurrant juice. We felt the product would be hampered by labelling with the Japanese name, kuro suguri, because it has a low profile and we would be better starting off from scratch.

“I expect it will be a long battle for market acceptance,” said Mr Mellon.

The product will be launched at the New Zealand embassy 'in Tokyo on Monday, July 22 and providing a muscial accompainment will be the Christchurch Schools Youth Band, en route to the Japan International Youth Musicale, in Shizuoka.

Barkers is the principal sponsor of the band, which is another of Mr Mellon’s ideas. The 44-member band will all be provided with blackcurrant juice to distribute to their Japanese hosts, of course.

The company’s cassis is proving very popular in

Australia, according to Mr Mellon, where he said it had displaced the French competition and was being drunk as a mixer with dry champagne or dry white wine (a kir royale).

He said casis was the ultimate in added-value for blackcurrants and Barkers had sent several shipments to eastern states in Australia and was now looking at Perth. Mr Mellon described the New Zealand Fruitwine Producers Council, of which he is a member, as being in very good heart, with all the kiwifruit winemakers and exporters doing exceptionally well. The Japanese market is booming for kiwifruit wine and all New Zealand wineries have forward orders to their capacities.

Mr Colin Robinson, of Stoke, well-known for his apple juices and fruitwines, was recently appointed a member of the council representing Nelson.