This is the story of how Artisan Honey Ltd. decided to export honey to Japan, and how the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement contributed to the company's success.

The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which entered into force in 2019, simplified customs procedures and improved transparency for exporting EU companies.

For Artisan Honey Ltd., this led to a spectacular increase in exports to Japan. In the first five years after the entry into force of the EU-Japan EPA, the volume of the company’s exports increased twentyfold. With its new foothold in the Japanese market, Artisan Honey was able to steer through the Covid-19 crisis without having to lay off any employees.

Sander Sulane, founder and export manager of Artisan Honey Ltd., was introduced to beekeeping by a close friend who had been passionate about beekeeping since his teens. Sharing an interest in rural development and nature – and attracted by a career outside of an office – the two friends decided to co-found a bee farm in 2010 in the Estonian countryside. Today, roughly six staff members and 100 million bees make up Artisan Honey Ltd.

A success story in the making

At the beginning, Artisan Honey was selling mainly to its home market, but the company had a clear ambition to tap into the potential of the Asian market. The idea was to establish a solid brand for 100% natural honey that the company expected would be valued by Japanese consumers with a taste for quality – and with high purchasing power.

In 2013, Sulane and his partner began exploring the Japanese market but despite their efforts, in the next five years, the company sold only about 800 kilograms of honey there in total, in various pilot batches.

“It took many years before we realised that a Japanese never says ‘no’. All meetings with potential partners and clients were always very friendly and this encouraged us to invest more and more energy, but still without much result,” Sulane explains. 

EU-Japan EPA makes the difference

The turning point for Artisan Honey came in 2019, when it joined the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation’s ‘Get ready for Japan’ programme. The programme provided valuable insights into Japanese business culture and negotiation tactics, which helped Artisan Honey staff to establish stronger relationships with their Japanese partners and allowed them to acquire the skills and knowledge they needed to succeed in the Japanese market. 

This also coincided with the launch of the EU-Japan EPA, which helped to build trust among Japanese business partners. 

After 2019, things really started to take off. The EU-Japan EPA played an important role in giving confidence to our business partners. The tariffs were gradually lowered, and our exports started going up. The numbers have been getting better every year.

Sander Sulane,
CEO, Artisan Honey Ltd.

Before the EU-Japan EPA, Artisan Honey had sold under one ton of honey in total over five years. In the five years following the entry into force of the EPA, the company's sales in Japan rose to a total of 20 tons.

What the future holds

The high demands and cultural characteristics of Japanese consumers provided both challenges and valuable lessons for Artisan Honey. 

“For any company seeking to expand their business to Japan, I recommend consulting the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, which offers good resources and support for European businesses in Japan,” Sulane says. 

Like many other small producers of natural honey, Artisan Honey is also facing competition from suppliers of cheap adulterated honey in the world market. Sulane is placing a lot of hope in the potential of new DNA testing techniques to distinguish between authentic and adulterated honey.

“A generalised acceptance of DNA testing for honey would help create fair and transparent competition in the global honey market. It would allow us to demonstrate the purity and quality of our product, which in turn would lead to increased trust among our clients in Japan and beyond,” says Sulane.

Artisan Honey plans to continue expanding exports to Japan and will also consider entering the South Korea and Singapore markets. In both countries Artisan Honey will be able to enjoy the benefits of the EU trade agreements that have been in place since 2011 (South Korea) and 2018 (Singapore). 

Key facts

• Founded in: Estonia, in 2010
• Headquarters: Peeter, Estonia
• Employees: 6
• Bees: 100,000,000