I’ve been in the UK this week for a flying visit but managed to check out a few retail stores.
One brand that caught my eye was Ueshima’s Tokyo Roast and Fuji Blend in the coffee aisle. Ueshima is sold in both beans and Nespresso compatible capsules.
Demand for Japanese food in the UK continues to soar, Tesco recently said that Sushi has become more popular than the classic smoked salmon sandwich. Sushi is now Tesco’s fastest growing premium treat and the retailer sells around 21m sushi packs per year.
Ueshima is a brand owned by UCC coffee Europe. It is an interesting example of localisation, a skill many Japanese consumer goods companies have historically lacked when it comes to International expansion.
UCC coffee UK is not a small enterprise, its revenues exceed $250m and it has over 450 employees. UCC owns the Lyons brands plus a large HORECA coffee servicing business which it acquired in 2012. The Ueshima brand was launched in 2021, initially online, but now is popping up in the big supermarket chains.
I like the Ueshima pack design. It’s done by a UK based calligrapher, who is Japanese. Interestingly, and perhaps significantly the same pack and design isn’t available in Japan…
There is research that shows that a minimalist, cleaner pack design enhances the purity values of a brand, and its cachet.
In Japan, I have not seen much distribution for the Ueshima brand in supermarkets. I am wondering why UCC does not use the same design in Japan? Is it intentional? One reason could be that UCC distributes Keurig in Japan, and almost certainly cannot market a Nespresso compatible SKU. But that still leaves coffee beans.
Once upon a time it was rare for foreigners to visit Japan. How brands were marketed in Japan remained unknown to the rest of the world. Now the situation has completely changed with the huge number of tourists, never mind the internet. Is UCC missing a trick?
Which design do you prefer?
*Ueshima上島 literally means ‘over the island’