What Matsuzawa does

Matsuzawa is a Nagano, Japan-based regional gift and specialty food enterprise group operating across five integrated business segments: fresh produce procurement/sales, food manufacturing, wholesale distribution, direct retail, and food service. Founded by Toru Matsuzawa in 1959 and incorporated in 1983, the group reorganized under a holding company (Matsuzawa Holdings) in 2006 and consolidated back into a single operating company in December 2024. Core products include proprietary regional confections such as Shiroi Shinyoju (white chocolate langue de chat cookies), Ringo Otome (thinned-apple cookie confection), and Ichida Kaki Mille-feuille (non-fumigation dried persimmon layered sweet), plus the APPO CIDRE beverage brand produced at a brewery in Iida City. The group's technical differentiators include multi-variety small-batch food manufacturing, proprietary non-fumigation persimmon processing, and utilization of thinned apples (an agricultural byproduct) sourced from JA Minami Shinshu, all supported by ISO9001:2015/JIS Q 9001:2015 quality certification across 7+ production sites.

The business operates through 15+ wholly-owned subsidiaries covering wholesale distribution across 11+ prefectures in the Kanto-Koshinetsu region (Nagano, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, Toyama, Niigata, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, and Osaka), direct retail through 300+ stores including the Mame Kichi Honpo bean-snack chain, Karuizawa Maple Stock, and FAVERS local food marts, plus restaurants (Kanae Chaya, Sasuga-ya, Mangetsu-ya, Chaashu-ya ramen chain, Ogiso Seifunjo soba chain) and e-commerce via Rakuten. Revenue mechanics span wholesale (channel/reseller to hotels, SA/PA, railway stations, michi-no-eki), direct retail, food service transactions, and OEM/confectionery manufacturing. The customer base includes enterprise partners such as Hanamaki Onsen, JR East Japan, and NEXCO Central Japan, alongside mass-market B2C travelers and gift shoppers purchasing omiyage across Japan's domestic tourism ecosystem. International distribution extends to 14+ countries including China, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, and Canada for flagship products, with the group maintaining founder-family control under Representative Director Toru Matsuzawa.

Name

Matsuzawa

Legal name

マツザワホールディングス株式会社

Website

https://matsuzawa.gr.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Matsuzawa is a Nagano, Japan-based regional gift and specialty food enterprise group operating across fresh produce, manufacturing, wholesale, retail, and food service segments through 15+ subsidiaries serving travelers, hotels, and retailers across 11+ prefectures.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nagano

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale of regional specialty products, souvenirs, and food products to hotels, service areas, roadside stations, and retail stores across Japan. The group has multiple regional subsidiaries covering different prefectures.
2. Retail Sales: Direct retail operations including company-operated stores at hotels, commercial facilities, specialty stores (豆吉本篷, 十勝甘納豆本舗, etc.), and e-commerce through Rakuten and other online platforms.
3. Restaurant Operations: Japanese cuisine restaurants (かなえ茶屋, さすが家, 満月や), ramen chain (ちゃあしゅう屋), soba shops (小木曽製粉所), and food court operations.
4. Food Manufacturing: Manufacturing of confectionery, snacks, cider (APPO), and processed foods under company brands and OEM/contract manufacturing for other companies.
5. Fresh Produce (青果): Procurement and sales of fresh fruits and vegetables, sourcing from local producers and supplying to retail and food service operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Matsuzawa is a regional gift (omiyage) enterprise group that plans, manufactures, wholesales, and retails Japanese specialty confections, regional food products, fresh produce, and cider. The group's integrated operations span five business segments — fresh produce (青果), manufacturing (製造), wholesale (卸売), retail (小売), and food service (飲食) — supplying hotels, expressway service areas, railway stations, roadside stations, and commercial facilities across Japan, while also operating company-owned specialty stores, branded restaurants, and e-commerce channels.

Product overview

Matsuzawa is a regional gift (omiyage) enterprise group operating across five business segments: agricultural products (青果), manufacturing (製造), wholesale (卸売), retail (小売), and food services (飲食). The product portfolio centers on traditional Japanese confections and regional specialties including signature products like 白い針葉樹 (white chocolate languedechat), りんご乙女 (apple cookie confection), and 市田柿ミルフィーユ (persimmon mille-feuille). The company also produces alcoholic beverages under the APPO CIDRE brand and operates numerous restaurant and retail store chains across Japan. The group manages wholesale operations through subsidiary companies covering different prefectural regions and operates direct retail stores including bean specialty chain 豆吉本舗, maple confectionery shop 軽井沢メープルストック, and restaurant brands like Japanese restaurants (かなえ茶屋, さすが家, 満月や), ramen chain ちゃあしゅう屋, and soba chain 小木曽製粉所.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• りんご乙女: 摘果リンゴを使用した薄焼きクッキー。iTQi国際優秀味覚コンテストで7年連続で最高位３つ星受賞（ダイヤモンド味覚賞）
• 白い針葉樹
• 市田柿ミルフィーユ
• APPO CIDRE
• 軽井沢 maple stock
• 豆吉本舗
• FAVERS

Products and services

• 白い針葉樹 (Shiroi Shinyoju) A langue de chat cookie sandwich with white chocolate, handmade at Takagi Factory, featuring a melt-in-your-mouth texture and winner of 10+ consecutive Monde Selection Gold Awards plus iTQi 3-star.
• りんご乙女 (Ringo Otome) Apple confection made with sliced raw apples pressed onto cookie batter, primarily using thinned-out 'tekika' apples. Holds iTQi Diamond Taste Award and 14 consecutive 3-star awards; exported to 14+ countries.
• 市田柿ミルフィーユ (Ichida Kaki Mille-feuille) Modern reinterpretation of traditional Ichida persimmon sweets layered with rich butter and natural saltiness, using regional non-fumigation dried persimmon. Winner of Rakuten O-1 Grand Prix Sweets Grand Prize and METI Wonder 500 certification.
• APPO CIDRE Cider brand produced at apple tree-lined brewery in Iida City using local Nagano apples under the South Shinshu Iida Fruit Wine Special Zone, offering dry and semi-sweet varieties including Méthode Ancestrale and 2021 SWEET CIDRE 330ml.
• 豆吉本舗 (Mame Kichi Honpo) Chain of bean snack specialty stores with multiple locations across Japan, offering seasonal and regional bean-based confections (seasonal pricing typically 470–610 yen per box).
• 軽井沢メープルストック (Karuizawa Maple Stock) Maple confectionery specialty shop in Karuizawa offering maple waffles, maple sweets, and maple syrup products made from local maple tree sap blended with Canadian maple syrup.
• 信州芽吹堂 (Shinshu Mebukido) Wholesale and retail subsidiary specializing in Shinshu/Nagano regional gifts including 白樺の大地 chocolate, 軽井沢ALAISE maple sweets, frozen fruits, and local food products.
• 十勝甘納豆本舗 (Tokachi Kanendo Honpo) Sweet bean paste confectionery stores including the main store in Kawaguchi, with multiple additional locations.
• ちゃあしゅう屋 (Chaashu Ya) Ramen restaurant chain offering three types of chashu pork (charcoal-grilled, tender simmered, thick-cut) and various ramen styles including shoyu, shio, miso, and tonkotsu.
• 小木曽製粉所 (Ogiso Seifunjo) Soba restaurant chain with hand-blended buckwheat flour and fresh noodles made to order; known for reasonable pricing with regular zaru soba at 550 yen.
• 満月や (Mangetsu Ya) Japanese restaurant in Matsumoto specializing in traditional dishes including sanzai-yaki and Shinshu miso-based cuisine with local sake selection.
• かなえ茶屋 (Kanae Chaya) Japanese restaurant in Iida City registered as a local consumption promotion restaurant, serving Southern Nagano ingredients including Minami Shinshu kurobuta pork.
• さす が家 (Sasuga Ya) Japanese restaurant in Iida City serving local Southern Nagano ingredients including Minami Shinshu kurobuta and Chiyomaru pork.
• FAVERS Local food specialty store chain with locations in Tachikawa, Nagano, and Toki, selling Shinshu regional agricultural and processed products.
• POMGE Retail store in Shinmai Media Garden Matsumoto specializing in cider and bonbons.
• 可児っこ亭 (Kanikko Tei) and 可児っこ (Canitte) Roadside station (michi-no-eki) operation managed by the group, offering local food products and confections.
• Fresh Produce (青果物) Wholesale and Distribution Procurement and sales of fresh fruits and vegetables, sourcing from local producers and supplying to retail, food service operations, and processing needs.
• OEM/Contract Confectionery Manufacturing Contract manufacturing of confectionery, snacks, cider, and processed foods for other companies under OEM/white-label arrangements.
• ぐんまいクリームキャラメル (Gunma-i Cream Caramel) Wholesale caramel product using Gunma Prefecture raw milk as a special regional confection released through subsidiary Tsurumaihonpo (鶴舞本舗).
• 原木しいたけスープ (Genboku Shiitake Soup) Wholesale soup product using wild log-cultivated shiitake mushrooms released through subsidiary Keyakido (けやき堂).
• 戸隠生そば (Togakushi Nama Soba) Wholesale soba noodle product made with Shinshu buckwheat flour released through Shinshu Mebukido (信州芽吹堂).

Quantifiable outcome

• 14+ consecutive years of iTQi 3-star award for りんご乙女 (2009-2022)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 昼神キヲスク (Hirugami Kiwosk)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2021Local commerce partnership for cider sales and promotion through SHOP & CAFE about HIRUGAMI during CIDRE FAIR events.
• ヘブンスそのはら (Heavens Sonohara)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2021Mountain resort partnership for cider sales at summer festivals and events. Participated in HEAVENS SONOHARA CIDRE FES 2021 event.
• 松本山雅FC (Matsumoto Yamaga FC)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2021Local sports team sponsorship for community engagement, hosting mini soccer tournaments and youth sports events.
• 飯田市 (Iida City) - 南信州飯田果実酒特区coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2020Regional government partnership utilizing the local special zone system (南信州飯田果実酒特区) to establish cider brewing operations. The special zone reduces minimum production requirements from 6,000 liters to 2,000 liters, enabling small-scale cider production.
• もりやま園 (Moriyama-en)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 August 2015Technology partnership for thinned apple sourcing and branding, holds trademark rights for 摘果果 and TEKIKAKA brands used in Matsuzawa products.
• JAみなみ信州 (JA Minami Shinshu)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2015Agricultural cooperative partnership for sourcing thinned apples (摘果リンゴ) from local apple farmers. JA Minami Shinshu works with Matsuzawa to provide agricultural byproducts that would otherwise be wasted, creating value for farmers and enabling production of premium products like りんご乙女.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ezaki Glico: Major Japanese confectionery incumbent (Pocky, Bisco, etc.) with broad domestic and international distribution. Competes with Matsuzawa in confectionery retail shelves and gift-set gifting but at a much larger scale and wider product portfolio.
• Bourbon: Mid-sized Japanese confectionery and biscuit manufacturer with strong domestic distribution and omiyage positioning. Competes with Matsuzawa on regional gift-set shelves and in travel retail.
• Meiji Holdings: Diversified Japanese food and confectionery major (Meiji brand chocolate, snacks, dairy). Comparable as a broad confectionery incumbent whose regional and omiyage gift products overlap with Matsuzawa's manufacturing portfolio.
• Calbee: Largest Japanese snack food manufacturer with regional gift/snack sub-brands distributed through travel retail and omiyage channels — comparable broad-incumbent competitive pressure on Matsuzawa's confectionery shelves.
• Fujiya: Japanese confectionery and bakery company (Pekochan brand) with chain retail and gifting — comparable as a heritage Japanese confectionery incumbent with multi-channel gifting distribution.

Emerging players

• Kanro: Japanese candy and confectionery manufacturer with growing premium gifting and direct-to-consumer focus. Comparable as a domestic confectionery specialist competing in similar omiyage and gifting categories.
• ROYCE': Hokkaido-based premium Japanese chocolate and confectionery brand with strong international omiyage and travel-retail presence — directly comparable to Matsuzawa in premium regional Japanese confectionery with airport/travel-channel positioning and export growth.

Direct peers

• Toraya: Long-established (founded 1900) Japanese traditional confectionery (wagashi) maker operating company-owned retail and gifting channels — comparable to Matsuzawa in heritage-driven regional confectionery positioning, gifting-channel strength, and brand-led pricing.
• Yoku Moku: Premium Japanese cookie and confectionery manufacturer best known for its Cigare languedechat cookie — directly comparable to Matsuzawa's Shiroi Shibaju languedechat cookie sandwich in product format, premium positioning, gifting/omiyage channel focus, and international distribution.
• Press Butter Sand (BAKE): Regional Japanese specialty confectionery brand with strong omiyage/gifting positioning and omnichannel distribution including train stations and airports — comparable to Matsuzawa's specialty confectionery SKUs (e.g., 市田柿ミルフィーユ) and station-retail presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AppoCidre
• Instagraminstagram.com/appo_cidre

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Matsuzawa