Jeffrey McNeill
Senior Representative in Japan
Raisin Administrative Committee
Jeffrey McNeill has been the Senior Representative in Japan for the Raisin Administrative Committee for the past four years. His company, Market Makers Inc, of which he is President, represents many U.S. food organizations in Japan in addition to the Raisin Administrative Committee. He has authored several publications for the U.S. embassy in the past, including “The Japanese Foodservice Market” and “The Japanese Food Processing Sector”. He has a BA from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard University, and currently serves on the Boards of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Japan and the Tokyo American Club, and as President of the Harvard Business School Club of Japan.
Japan has been the largest export market for California Raisins for more than 40 years.
In 2011, the California Raisin industry and the Raisin Administrative Committee (RAC) will be celebrating the 50th year anniversary of the first California raisin marketing activities in Japan. Japan has been the largest export market for California raisins for more than 40 years and represents nearly 12% of all raisins produced in the state. Over the years, California raisin suppliers have established a strong base in Japan with both the trade and consumers, and have developed a reputation for quality and safety that is second to none. Without domestic raisin production of its own, Japan depends nearly 100% on imported raisins to fill its raisins needs. The baking industry relies heavily on California raisins to provide excellent value-added ingredients for the many kinds of breads and rolls sold throughout the country, and the annual California Raisin Bakery New Product Contest sponsored by the RAC is regarded as the premier contest of its kind in Japan. The Raisin Administrative Committee has been successful in creating a huge number of applications for California raisins in addition to those for baking, such as ice cream, cereals, health bars, chocolate and yogurt flavored raisins, biscuits and cookies, as well as everyday snacking. Most recently, the Raisin Administrative Committee has been actively promoting the nutritional benefits of California raisins at events such as the Tokyo Marathon and the Japan Paralympics, reflecting the increasing importance consumers place on nutritional issues. Even though the RAC has been in Japan for over 40 years, it is still a growing market for California Raisins, and the RAC has seen California raisin market share increase from 81.8% in 2007 to 84.8% in 2008 and over 86% in 2009!
