Japanese aquaculture company Okamura Foods is establishing a €1.5 million subsidiary in the Netherlands as it seeks to expand sales of farmed trout and salmon products in the European market.
The company said the new entity will serve as a European wholesale base and allow it to make a “full-scale entry” into the region.
Okamura, the largest trout farmer in Japan, has been expanding its international aquaculture footprint in recent years. Through its Danish subsidiary Musholm A/S, the group agreed last year to acquire a 51 percent stake in Latvia-based Riga Bay Aquaculture, securing access to sea areas in the Gulf of Riga with a potential licence for up to 10,000 tonnes of farmed fish.
The Latvian project is intended to become the company’s third aquaculture production base after Japan and Denmark, as Okamura seeks to expand trout supply and secure raw materials for its seafood processing business.
Under its 2030 strategy released last year, Okamura identified two main growth drivers: expanding domestic aquaculture production and growing its overseas wholesale business.
The Netherlands subsidiary is expected to support that strategy by strengthening the company’s distribution network in Europe as it continues to expand beyond its core markets in Japan and Asia.
