Japanese sake exports to the US: FDA registration handled on a success-fee basis

Mirabliss (Mirabliss LLC), based in Kyoto, has launched an “FDA Number Registration Support Service” for Japanese companies that want to export food, drink and alcoholic beverages, sake above all, to the United States. FDA stands for the US Food and Drug Administration, and facilities that ship food to the US are required to register with it. The company says it will charge its fee only if the registration succeeds. It is an attempt to lower the first hurdle on the road to the American market for small breweries that are not used to dealing with paperwork in English.

A service born from supporting sake breweries

Mirabliss was founded in 2017 in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto. The company has supported Japanese businesses expanding overseas, chiefly sake breweries going abroad, and has also worked on translation for overseas markets and on conveying the appeal of Japanese products to audiences abroad. The new service grew out of that experience. It says it is responding to what companies tell it: “We want to export to America, but we don’t know what to do about FDA registration,” and “We are anxious about procedures in English.” The company explains that it can access the FDA’s registration system directly, which keeps costs low.

Registration in four steps

The procedure has four stages. First, the client company gathers information about its business, facility and products. Next, Mirabliss registers the facility with the FDA on the basis of that information and checks the registered details. Finally, it supports the client with post-registration checks and with later renewal procedures. It will also advise on obtaining a “DUNS number”, the identification number for companies. The client only has to prepare the necessary information and receives support at each stage.

This news concerns the US, but it is not irrelevant to European readers. Export paperwork is a major barrier when small breweries go overseas. If support like this spreads, sake from small breweries that could once be drunk only in Japan is more likely to appear abroad. Note, however, that importing into the EU follows different rules from those of the US. If you spot an unfamiliar brewery name in a shop, ask the importer about the brewery’s background. You may come across a bottle that has only just made its way overseas.