From Hiroshima to Hangzhou: How Jagabee and Frugra drive Calbee's growth strategy

Calbee’s journey began in Hiroshima over eight decades ago, and today, it stands as one of Japan’s most iconic snack food manufacturers. Known for its innovative product lines like potato chips and cereal-based snacks, the company reported ¥322.56 billion (US$2.22 million) in revenue for fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, with international markets contributing ¥79.36 billion (US$550 million).

While North America and Greater China have emerged as its leading overseas markets, it’s China that is increasingly capturing Calbee’s attention. Flagship products like Jagabee and Frugra are driving growth as Calbee deepens its presence in this high-potential yet highly competitive market.

Following the Food & Beverage Innovation Forum (FBIF) 2025 in Shanghai, Campaign Asia-Pacific sat down with Hiroyuki Miyakura, Vice Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Calbee China. Now based in Hangzhou, Miyakura discussed how Calbee is navigating the complexities of the Chinese market, from localisation strategies and IP collaborations to sustainability efforts and managing geopolitical sensitivities.

Hiroyuki Miyakura presenting at FBIF 2025

Localisation has become an imperative for Calbee in China, ranging from domestic production of its popular Jagabee snacks to more marketing collaborations with anime, such as Chiikawa. As the company sharpens its focus on China-specific marketing strategies, it sees the market not only as a key driver of overseas revenue growth but also as a testing ground for healthier product innovations and more sustainable packaging solutions.

Since joining Calbee in 1992, Hiroyuki Miyakura has built a career rooted in marketing and product planning, with a key focus on customer-driven marketing strategies and product development. Relocating to China earlier this year, he now oversees Calbee’s marketing operations in the market, while also steering the global brand strategy for Frugra, one of the company’s flagship cereal product lines.

Campaign: Calbee began local production of ‘Jagabee’ potato sticks in China in 2024. What prompted this decision?

Hiroyuki Miyakura: Originally, Jagabee snacks were imported from Japan, which made them a premium product due to high transportation costs. However, for the brand to grow, the pricing needed to be more accessible. By localising production in China, we’ve managed to lower costs, offer a more affordable price compared to the Japan-made version, mitigate risks tied to multilateral trade, and ensure a stable, reliable supply for our customers.

 Talk about the similarities between the marketing strategy for ‘Jagabee’ in China and that in the Japanese market? What adjustments have been made to align with the preferences of Chinese consumers?

Our core brand message remains consistent across markets: we focus on highlighting Jagabee’s authentic potato flavour and its unique texture, both of which are at the heart of the product’s appeal. This foundational value doesn’t change, whether in Japan or China.

The key adjustments that we've made to better connect with Chinese consumers would be around partnerships and collaborations. In China, IP fandom and a love for anime is pervasive, so we’ve leaned into collaborations with popular characters more actively than we do in Japan. It helps us tap into the enthusiasm of Chinese consumers and create stronger cultural and emotional connection to the brand.

Chinese snack market is highly competitive. What's your approach to further Calbee's brand awareness and market influence?

Our primary focus remains on our flagship products, ‘Frugra’ (Calbee’s original fruits & granola) and ‘Jagabee,’ which are at the core of our sales. As these brands originate from Japan, much of our operations have traditionally adhered to the value standards established in the Japanese market.

Moving forward, we aim to strike a balance between global consistency and local relevance. For each brand, we will carefully define what should remain constant across countries and what needs to be tailored for specific markets. This approach will enable us to develop and communicate each brand in a way that resonates deeply with local customers, ensuring they feel a genuine connection to our products in every region.

Beyond the Chinese market, what expansion plans does Calbee have globally, particularly in the other APAC markets?​ How does Calbee promote its Japanese brand identity in overseas markets?​

We approach Asia and Oceania, including China, as a single, unified region within our strategy. This allows us to focus on the horizontal expansion of successful initiatives across markets, as well as better coordination of supply chains among Calbee Group companies and our local partners. Through these efforts, we are working toward achieving a 50% overseas sales ratio (outside Japan) for Calbee.

What concrete actions has Calbee undertaken in the area of sustainability? In particular, could you highlight the company’s efforts and goals concerning environmental protection and corporate social responsibility?

At Calbee Japan, we are committed to contributing to people's health and well-being by increasing the number of products that are no added salt, low salt, or reduced salt and high in protein by 200% in our product lineup. As an initiative to protect the global environment, we are working to reduce the use of petroleum-derived plastic packaging by 50%.

How do you view Calbee's development prospects in the Chinese market over the next few years?

We believe that the snack and cereal market in China is becoming more mature, but we do not expect it to experience negative growth. As the market is more than ten times larger than Japan's, we will continue to focus on building brand awareness and cultivating a loyal fan base.

In recent years, tensions in Sino-Japanese relations and regional politics have made it more challenging for some international brands in China. Has this affected Calbee’s brand strategy or marketing efforts in the Chinese market? How is your brand responding to these challenges?

Not limited to China, multilateral trade naturally carries risks when it comes to delivering products to customers in a stable manner. Of course, we believe it is essential to establish production at multiple sites for each product, providing a backup plan in case of emergencies, and the same applies to the supply of raw materials.

Calbee X Chiikawa collaboration in China

Which recent campaigns launched by Calbee in China have left the best impression on you?

What left a strong impression was the collaboration between Calbee and Japan’s super popular IP ‘Chiikawa.’ This collaboration achieved multifaceted innovation. The collaborating product, ‘Jagabee’ potato sticks, was released with local production (in China) for the first time, and the honey butter chip is also a popular product in South Korea. The IP characters, product flavours, and packaging have been seamlessly integrated to create a unique design.