FOR BUSINESS CLIENTS

As a bridge connecting producers to customers,
we strive to be your worthy partner.

As a farm-to-table business serving as a bridge connecting the world's producers and dinner tables, we have been importing and wholesaling fruits and vegetables for more than 50 years. Our motto is "safe, fresh, and delicious," and we strive to be a bridge that links the world and Japan, delivering good health and smiles to people's homes.

We deliver safe and secure produce imported from 40 countries and regions around the world. In addition to earning our customers' trust in our quality, we will actively work to develop new products that address changing customer needs and provide a high level of satisfaction.

Purchasing

Quality Controllers work closely with the Producers
Since we were established, we have been committed the "Safe and Secure" and "Japanese Quality Standards". In order to keep this belief, our Quality Controllers closely work with the producers all over the world.

QCs are Quality Control Professionals who have knowledge and passion for the fruits and vegetables.

From seeding, QCs and producers keep an eye on the produce from the seeding to the harvest. When it comes to the harvest, they do taste them by their own and figure things out carefully in case there are some insects or weather conditions affecting the produce. This is how our QCs build strong relationships with producers in order to develop quality-controlled produce, and deliver them all over Japan.

Logistics

We have our own cold chain distribution system which enables fruits and vegetables are delivered with the best in its freshness and its taste.

We use private containers to transport products from overseas to Japan, and transport particularly delicate products only by air. At the port of entry, products are inspected for pests by the plant quarantine office in each area, are moved quickly to a refrigerated warehouse, and undergo import procedures. They are transported to R & L Union or to a UNION-designated processing plant, where processing and other operations are performed along customer schedules.
We believe that maintaining freshness across borders is the key to secure customer confidence in our quality and enables farm-to-table.

Freshness and Quality

We implement thoroughly consistent management from harvest to delivery using Quality Controllers (QCs). Our high quality and outstanding freshness, supported by a distribution system that delivers the right product at the right time in the right quantity, have won us the support of a great many customers.

We realize smooth distribution without the need for excessive inventory, leading to reduce labor costs, space, and food loss and waste.

Processing

【The Ripening Process】
We have our own specialized staff conducts process control for bananas, avocados, and other produce. We have set up an efficient processing system through sharing product information from the production areas and the market in Japan, and then perform thorough ripeness management and sorting, and meet quality standards with our customers. The ripening process allows us to ship the products when they are ready to be eaten, which allows us not only to deliver the products to customers in superior condition, but also has the advantage of letting them be displayed immediately, which makes the quality stable.

【Repackaging】
Experienced employees carry out the repackaging process. They pack each product with optimal packaging.
We carry out processing that adds value to quality and makes products more accessible to be chosen by consumers.

Safety and Security

We work closely with regional producers to prepare soil and select fertilizers and fields, watching over our produce from the time when they are tiny seedlings.
Our products are safely delivered to our customers to maintain temperature via automatic computerized control through transportation from quarantine to each destination.

SDGs [Union's Initiatives]

What is the SDGs?

The SDGs stands for Sustainable Development Goals and international goals for achieving a sustainable and better world by 2030 to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) formulated in 2001. It was stated in "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development", which was unanimously adopted by the member nations at the United Nations Summit in September 2015. The SDGs consist of 17 goals and 169 targets, and pledge "leave no one behind" on Earth. The SDGs is universal aim, to be tackled by developing countries as well as developed countries, and Japan is positively addressing it.
We at Union also support the initiatives of the SDGs and will contribute to the goal of a sustainable world.

Contributing to the Children's Cafeterias(*1)

Instead of discarding out-of-spec avocados, we freeze and process them to reduce food loss. We also provide them to the Children's Cafeterias in order to address the issue of hunger in Japan.
(*1) The Children's Cafeterias are social activities in Japan that provide children, their guardians, adn local residents with free or inexpensive nutritious and warm meals.

Supporting Healthy Diet through the Fruit Consumption

We give support through sports to improve Japan's low fruit intake compared to global standards and lead to healthier eating habits.

Using eco-friendly products

We use environmentally friendly products such as Eco-APET, which is made from plastic bottles and trays collected at supermarkets.
It reduces CO2 emissions by about one-third compared to containers made from virgin materials, thereby contributing to the prevention of global warming.

Protecting the Global Environment with supplier

We choose our production partners who have been increasing their commitment to sustainability. We have been working with our partners to protect the global environment through using solar energy, creating compost and regenerating soil from field residues, and more.