Mail-Order Food Exhibition & Business Meeting

The Mail Order Food Exhibition and Business Meeting is one of the few specialized business meetings in Japan that brings together only businesses buying and selling food through non-store channels such as mail order, home delivery and e-commerce. Buyers from catalog retailers, co-ops, subscription and regular delivery services, and online supermarkets attend to negotiate directly with growers and manufacturers of carefully made foods from across Japan. This article covers dates, venue, eligible exhibitors and visitor registration, as well as ideas for small-bag foods that mail order businesses can use as enclosed novelties in subscription boxes or as first-order bonuses.

Basic information on the Mail Order Food Exhibition and Business Meeting

The most recent edition is the 16th, in autumn 2026. The venue is the Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan in Yurakucho; only pre-registered visitors may attend, and it is not open to the general public. Because it draws visitors specifically from mail order, home delivery and e-commerce buyers, it serves as a place to look for products that sell well through mail order, where negotiations proceed differently from in-store distribution. The dates of the 17th edition the following year had not been announced at the time of writing.

Item	16th	17th
Dates	October 28 (Wed), 2026, 10:30-17:00 October 29 (Thu), 2026, 10:30-16:30	Not yet announced
Venue	Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan, 12th floor (2-10-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)	Not yet announced
Admission	Pre-registration required (registered visitors only)	Not yet announced
Organizer	Japan Food Industry Center / Shokuhin Shimbun / Japan Supermarkets Association / Japan Direct Marketing Association / Internet Journal	Not yet announced

The two-day show is designed to be short, running until 17:00 on the first day and until 16:30 on the second. Because visitors are limited to buyers, each meeting tends to be substantive, and it is easy to get into concrete terms of business in the limited time. Whether exhibiting or visiting, preparing a one-page summary of samples, minimum lots and shipping terms, with follow-up after the show in mind, keeps negotiations moving.

What companies and products does it attract?

Food categories eligible for exhibiting

Exhibitors are mainly growers and manufacturers that want to expand sales nationwide through mail order and home delivery channels. A wide range of foods suitable for mail order is on display, from primary products such as fresh produce, meat and seafood to confectionery, seasonings, beverages, frozen foods, retort foods, dried goods and dried vegetables. Carefully made foods that convey the story of their origin and makers, and processed foods that keep at room temperature and withstand shipping, are categories that fit mail order channels well.

Unlike in a store, mail order customers can't pick products up from a shelf, so products are chosen on the strength of photos, descriptions and the experience when they arrive. Items that don't break or lose their shape easily and look good when the box is opened are more likely to lead to repeat purchases and word of mouth. Items from growing regions that would be small-lot on their own can also be sold in ways unique to mail order by including them in part of a subscription box or a trial set.

Mail order, e-commerce and subscription buyers who attend

Visitors are mainly buyers from catalog retailers, home delivery services, co-ops, online supermarkets, and businesses running subscription and regular delivery services. Their evaluation criteria differ from store buyers': they look at products in terms of shipping costs, how they fit in the box, repeat rates when included in subscriptions, and how easy they are to give out as first-order bonuses. Being prepared at your booth to make proposals while finding out which channel and which campaign the buyer wants to use the product for improves the quality of negotiations.

Businesses running subscriptions are sometimes looking for enclosed extras to vary each month's box, or for first-order-only bonuses. Not only strong standalone products but also items that can be portioned so customers can try several kinds are easy to fit into these campaigns, and negotiations tend to become concrete. Checking exhibitor information before the show and preparing a presentation suited to your target channel helps you make the most of the short show.

Organizers and the positioning of the business meeting

This business meeting is co-organized by the Japan Food Industry Center, Shokuhin Shimbun, the Japan Supermarkets Association, the Japan Direct Marketing Association and Internet Journal. With food industry bodies, mail order and retail industry associations, and specialist media all involved, exhibitors can promote themselves as makers and develop sales in mail order channels at the same time.

Rather than an event where you walk between adjacent specialized shows as at a large comprehensive exhibition, this business meeting focuses on a single area: mail order and home delivery foods. Because visitors are limited to buyers involved in mail order, the purpose of each counterpart is clear, and there is little need to switch between in-store and mail order proposals.

Highlights for visitors and exhibitors

Direct negotiations with mail order buyers

The biggest highlight is the chance to talk directly with buyers for mail order, home delivery and subscriptions. Beyond tastings and brochures, being ready to answer on the spot about price range, minimum lot, available shipping period and delivery format makes it easier to lead to quote requests later. Rather than ending with an exchange of business cards, noting which campaign the buyer wants to use the product in makes follow-up after the show easier.

Tips on selling in ways unique to mail order

In mail order, the first experience and continued purchases from the second order onward drive sales. Campaigns such as enclosed extras in subscription boxes, trial sets and first-order bonuses require a different design from single-item sales. At the venue, you can pick up on products that are actually growing through mail order and on enclosure ideas that generate repeat orders, from conversations between exhibitors and buyers' reactions.

Confirming whether small-lot transactions are possible

Mail order businesses often test in small quantities first and look at the response before placing a full order, so whether you can handle small lots is often the deciding point in negotiations. Organizing your minimum lot and the outlook for scaling up from there makes it easier for buyers to get the campaign approved internally. For uses that require a steady monthly volume, such as enclosed extras in subscription boxes, being able to discuss your continuous supply system builds trust.

For companies considering exhibiting

Eligible exhibitors include food manufacturers, growers and joint exhibits by growing regions that want to expand sales through mail order and home delivery channels. Details on exhibit formats and booth fees can be confirmed with the organizers or through the contact point on the official website. To make the most of the short show, narrow down your target channels and prepare samples and brochures tailored to those channels' campaigns, which makes it easier to get into negotiations.

If the samples you hand out at your booth are light and keep well, they leave an impression even when buyers review them back at the office. In addition to a one-page summary of prices, lots and shipping terms, adding mail order uses such as portions suitable for subscription box enclosures or formats suited to first-order bonuses makes it easier for buyers to fit the product into their campaigns.

Visitor registration and how to participate

Visitor attendance requires pre-registration, and only registered visitors can enter. General visitors are not accepted, so mail order, home delivery and e-commerce businesses should register on the official website before the show. The venue, Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan, is conveniently located in central Tokyo: a 1-minute walk from JR Yurakucho Station, 1 minute from Ginza-itchome Station on the subway, and 3 minutes from Ginza Station. The exhibition is held on the 12th floor, and you can also walk there from Hibiya Station on the Toei Mita Line and the Chiyoda Line.

Tips for mail order and subscription businesses

In mail order, the experience the moment a package arrives determines repeat purchases. Vegetables and fruit that are unsuited to shipping fresh become light, hard to damage and transportable at room temperature once processed into dried products or powder, making them easy to include in subscription boxes and trial sets. Agriture processes dried off-spec vegetables, vegetable powders, tea and dried fruit, and you can consult us from the raw material selection stage on designing formats that can be delivered in small portions and are easy to handle in mail order channels.

Buyer feedback from negotiations becomes material for your next product. If you take home requests such as "make this flavor milder" or "make this packaging smaller to fit our subscription box," produce small-lot prototypes and then go into the next meeting, you can speed up your mail order campaigns.

Small-bag foods: a way to prevent cancellations with a little delight on opening

What subscription businesses struggle with every month is how to create something to look forward to on opening so that customers don't cancel after the second or third box. Delivery slips and flyers may be thrown away unread, but a single small individually wrapped food in the box changes the impression when it is opened. Combined with a review request card, a bite-sized small bag achieves both getting customers to taste and getting their feedback in the same shipment, and gives them a reason to look forward to the next box.

Items that survive shipping and can add variety to each month's box

The difficult things about subscription box enclosures are breakage, moisture and weight. Small bags of dried vegetables, tea and dried fruit are light, keep at room temperature and slip straight into existing boxes, avoiding all three problems at once. Their quality holds up even when made in advance as stock, and they are well suited to swapping contents month by month to add a small twist such as "this month's pick." Agriture can prepare tea bags, dried pears made from Kyotango-grown Nijisseiki pears and more in small lots starting from 50 bags.

Growing a well-received extra into the highlight of your subscription

Small bags handed out as enclosed extras or first-order bonuses can become the basis for subscription originals or private-label products. By handing out 2-3 variations of flavor and packaging and seeing which ones led to reorders and continued subscriptions, you can narrow down candidates to make into regulars. Because we can work with you on raw material selection and package design all the way to turning promising items into flagship products for your own brand, you can move seamlessly from handing things out to see the response to turning them into products.

FAQ: Mail Order Food Exhibition and Business Meeting

Can anyone attend?

Only pre-registered visitors may attend, and the general public cannot enter. Businesses involved in mail order, home delivery, e-commerce or subscriptions need to register on the official website before the show.

Have the dates for 2027 (17th edition) been decided?

At the time of writing, the dates and venue for the following year have not been announced. Please check the official website for the latest information.

Can we exhibit or attend without a track record in mail order?

The show also expects exhibitors from growers and manufacturers that want to expand into mail order and home delivery channels. Attending first as a visitor to see what kinds of products mail order buyers are looking for is also a useful approach.

Can enclosed extras for subscription boxes be made in small lots?

Individually wrapped dried vegetables, tea and dried fruit can be prepared in small lots starting from 50 bags. You can test several flavors and packages and adopt the best-received ones as subscription enclosures or first-order bonuses.

What items are suited to enclosed novelties for mail order?

Small bags of food that keep at room temperature, don't break easily and slip easily into a box are ideal. Dried vegetables, tea and dried fruit let customers experience the taste even in a single bite-sized portion, making them easy to use as first-order bonuses or to enclose with review request cards.

Summary: create products that get into subscription boxes at the Mail Order Food Exhibition and Business Meeting

The Mail Order Food Exhibition and Business Meeting is a business meeting specializing in mail order, home delivery and e-commerce; the 16th edition will be held October 28-29, 2026, on the 12th floor of the Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan (Yurakucho). Entry is limited to pre-registered visitors, and you can negotiate with buyers from catalog retailers, co-ops, online supermarkets and subscription services, who use different evaluation criteria from store buyers. The dates of the 17th edition have not been announced, so check the official website before attending. If you want to grow your numbers in subscriptions or e-commerce, planning becomes easier if you start by using small bags of dried vegetables, tea and dried fruit that add delight on opening as enclosed extras or first-order bonuses, then growing the items that led to continued subscriptions into subscription originals.

Official information: Mail Order Food Exhibition and Business Meeting official website

Official information: Mail Order Food Exhibition and Business Meeting official website

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Last updated: August 12, 2026