Soy Canada welcomes Japanese tofu makers on Canadian tour

Ottawa, ON – Japanese customers who are highly invested in the quality and consistency of Canadian soybeans visited Canada last week. Members of the Japan Tofu Association were hosted by Soy Canada and its members to see firsthand how Canadian soybean varieties are developed, how soybeans are grown and how our export and processing system works. The incoming delegation included representatives from Japan’s top tofu makers, food manufacturers and importers.

“Canadian soybeans are sought after in Japan for their high quality,” says Brian Innes, Soy Canada executive director. “Hosting our customers showed our commitment to quality, sustainability and trust with a market that purchases one third of our food-grade soybean production.”

Organized by Soy Canada, the mission brought customers on a cross-Canada tour of research labs, seed developers, farms and export facilities. It also included institutions that play a pivotal role in the success of the food-grade soybean industry such as the University of Guelph, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Grain Commission.

In 2024, Canada exported $400 million of soybeans to Japan – with approximately 45% of these exports used for tofu production. Japan is highly reliant on soybean imports to produce soy foods, with imports comprising 70% of the Japanese demand for food-grade soybeans.

Alongside showcasing Soy Canada members and the value chain, the delegation visited the Soy Quality Program laboratory at the Canadian Grain Commission. While there, they compared Japanese and Canadian tofu analysis methods which are important for tofu makers to have confidence in how a particular soybean variety will perform for tofu production. A partnership of Soy Canada and the Canadian Grain Commission, the Soy Quality program assesses more than 150 food grade varieties of soybeans grown in the Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba variety performance trials for their quality characteristics.

“It was fantastic to see our members connect directly with our customers,” says Innes. “There’s nothing like personal connections to maintain and build the reputation of Canadian soybeans with our Japanese customers.”

Soy Canada is a national value-chain organization for the soybean sector, including seed companies, growers, exporters, and processors. Created in 2014, we provide industry leadership on issues affecting the growth and profitability of the soybean sector, coordinate research efforts across the value chain and across the country, as well as lead on market access and market development efforts. Canada is a global leader in producing high quality, sustainable and trusted soybeans for world markets. Soybeans are among the top three most valuable crops in Canada, with 70% of production exported each year.