Following her graduation from Sophia University, Yoko was responsible for the planning and management of a wide variety of international events including but not limited to conferences, trade shows, seminars and exhibitions – this included coordination of oversea inspection tours. After moving to the United States, Yoko established American Access in 1992, where she continues to plan, manage and coordinate for multiple projects that connects Japan with the United States and the rest of the world.
Yoko has been involved in managing JETRO’s Sample Showroom Project since its launch in 2021 to present.
Qualifications:
CEM (Certified in Exhibition Management)
CMP (Certified Meeting Professional)
I am the sales and marketing director at MACSEI Industries Corporation Los Angeles. I import and export meat products and processed natural food products from EU and North America.
I specialize in organic and natural food products, researching trend items that could be exported by request to Japanese companies.
I also worked at Los Angeles JETRO as a coordinator from 2010 to 2015.
After moving to the U.S. in 2003, I developed a unique network in many areas of the food industry, including both Japanese and U.S. distributors and supermarkets.
Currently, I support Japanese manufacturer companies as a consultant. In addition to retail and restaurant, I can also handle B to B and B to C.
Since 2015, I have been working as a food coordinator (agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and food sector) for JETRO Los Angeles, providing e-mail consultations and individual interviews. 2021, I have been working in the sample showroom business, assisting in matching buyers and producers.
Specialty:
Natural, Gluten Free, Vegan, Processed Marine Products, Planning Strategy
30 years of experience in importing Japanese food, product development, marketing, sales and sales promotion. 1991~Suntory International (Sales Manager), 1995~Ajinomoto USA (Brand Manager), 2007~Giant Union (Vice President), 2017~Kinjirushi Wasabi (Division Manager). In 2020, Established Island Quality Source (IQS) and mainly provides consulting services to support Japanese food companies entering the United States. Involves in US market research, Importing, sales support, and establishment of a local subsidiary.
From 2021 to 2023, acting as an overseas coordinator of the JETRO Los Angeles office, supports the expansion of Japanese food companies into the United States. Also has been supporting the expansion of sales channels for Japanese food products as an advisor to JETRO’s sample showroom business since 2021.
Specialty:
Processed Foods, Market Research, Product Development, Business Development
Work with different operational team to accomplish projects, including vendor onboarding, requirement gathering, and making contract. Complete project on time; process breakdown schedule, timeline and finical budget management. Based on the financial company target, review or make strategies for accomplishing or exceed revenue, gross margin,, and operation income. Build e-commerce business and digital initiatives to increase web traffic and sales. Analyzed market conditions to target new customers and develop new categories to expand new users. Evaluated market trends and recommended products to customers, based on business needs and goals.
Kentaro Tsurushima is a founder of Canvas Creative Group, a Japanese-American strategic consulting and project management firm. His main expertise is in the food and beverage industry. He was a key buyer of a premiere Japanese food and beverage importer/distributor since 2004. In 2011, he assumed his position as Senior Vice President, expanding the company’s business throughout the East Coast. He currently serves as the export advisor for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of the Japanese government.
I have a background in journalism and business, with 15 years of experience as a sales manager and editor at a US news agency. Witnessing the challenges faced by Japanese companies entering the American market, I became passionate about fostering stronger ties between Japan and the United States. This led me to establish my own company, specializing in sales and marketing for businesses in the alcohol industry, particularly Japanese alcoholic beverages. As an independent professional, I have worked as a distributor liaison, conducted restaurant and food pairing events, participated in various US-based events, provided interpretation services, and facilitated alcohol import and export. Additionally, I have served as a seminar speaker for JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) and as a field marketer, sharing my expertise on the international alcohol market.
Ms. Suzuki has been a coordinator in the Food and Beverage industries for JETRO-San Francisco since 2013. Ms. Suzuki founded Suzuki-Marketing Incorporated in 2004 after serving as Director of Marketing for Asia Pacific at PeoplePC, Director of International Marketing at E&J Gallo Winery, Marketing Associate at PepsiCo HQ. Suzuki Marketing markets and exports California wines to various Asian markets, as well as imports and distributes alcohol beverages and wagyu from Japan to the US market. Ms. Suzuki holds MBA from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a BA in International Relations and Linguistics from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. She also studied at University of Lisbon, Portugal, and The University of Western Ontario, Canada. She was born and raised in Japan, with an extensive international experience both personally and professionally. Ms. Suzuki is fluent in Japanese, English and Portuguese.
Specialty：
Alcohol, Food & Beverages, Marketing
