E-Paper
Sign In
Kanazawa's Budou-no-Mori becomes first Japanese food manufacturer to enter the UAE
This marks the company's first overseas expansion and the first time a Japanese food company has established a manufacturing base in the UAE
- PUBLISHED: Thu 28 Aug 2025, 1:44 PM
Budou-no-Mori, a confectionery manufacturer and retailer headquartered in Ishikawa Prefecture, has established a base and opened a factory in Sharjah. This marks the company's first overseas expansion and the first time a Japanese food company has established a manufacturing base in the UAE.
The company plans to sell its flagship product, ‘Katanuki Baumkuchen’ — a Baumkuchen confectionery carved into the shape of an original design, at Dubai Mall and other locations, promoting it as a Dubai souvenir with Japanese quality. The Baumkuchen confectionery is manufactured in Japan and exported frozen to the UAE.
Recommended For You
Based on customer requests, the Sharjah Budou-no-Mori factory designs the surface of the confectionery, featuring images such as camels and Dubai's tourist attractions. The outlines are then cut out using a Sugino Machine water cutter, and the illustrations are printed onto the confectionery.
In addition, to cater to Arab tastes for gold decorations, the company also produces UAE-made chocolate with a food print technique using gold leaf, a traditional Kanazawa technique, and sells it as a new UAE souvenir.
The number of tourists to the UAE is increasing year by year, especially in Dubai, and the number of international tourists visiting Dubai in 2024 is expected to reach 18.72 million, approximately four times the population (approximately 3.82 million). Dubai Airport will be relocating to a new airport five times larger than its current size, allowing it to accommodate even more passengers. Countries such as Abu Dhabi, where Disneyland is scheduled to open in 2028, and Ras Al Khaimah, where a casino will open in 2027, also view tourism as an important industry, and the move comes in anticipation of increased demand for souvenirs as the tourism market continues to expand.
Future vision and Saif Zone’s support
Through manufacturing in Sharjah, we aim to infuse our products with the Japanese spirit of omotenashi (hospitality), making them accessible to the diverse global community that gathers in Dubai.
In a statement from Saif Zone’s media team, they welcomed our investment, saying: “Budonomori’s investment is a testament to our confidence in Sharjah’s business environment and will bring new value.”
Saif Zone expressed strong hopes that our factory will contribute to local development and job creation.
“We believe that the Grape Tree FZE project will foster cultural exchange between Japan and Dubai and contribute to mutual growth. Together with our local team, led by Abliz, we will strengthen our partnership with Saif Zone and share the Japanese values of omotenashi and monozukuri (craftsmanship) with the world.