BY: Jeanine Moyer, writer, Synthesis Agri Food Network
Japanese tofu makers are turning their eyes – and business prospects – to Manitoba, opening the door to exciting new growth opportunities for the province’s soybean industry.
This fall, a delegation of Japan’s leading tofu makers, food manufacturers and soybean importers travelled to Canada to broaden their understanding of the country’s food-grade and Identity Preserved (IP) soybean supply chain and strengthen existing trade ties. Hosted by Soy Canada and its members from Sept. 8 to 12, 2025 the group travelled to Ontario and Manitoba to experience an in-depth look at every stage of the food-grade soybean journey, from variety development and sustainable farming practices to export logistics and processing systems.
Manitoba was the last day of the delegation tour and was a highlight of the visit, especially since it was the first time visiting the province for the Japan Tofu Association members.
“Showcasing Manitoba’s soybean industry in just one day was challenging, but our guests left with a renewed appreciation for the quality of Manitoba-grown soybeans and the strong commitment our industry has to serving global markets,” says Demian Gallego, Soy Canada’s manager of market development.
The visit highlighted Canada’s reputation for producing high-quality, food-grade soybeans for global customers, including Japanese buyers and tofu manufacturers, who prioritize consistency, quality and traceability.
“With tofu being a dietary staple in Japan, the assurance of a dependable supply of premium, high protein soybeans are key to meeting strict product standards and consumer expectations,” says Gallego, noting that in 2024, Canada exported $400 million of soybeans to Japan, with approximately 45 per cent of those exports used for tofu production. “Japan is highly reliant on soybean imports to produce soy foods, with imports comprising 70 per cent of the Japanese demand for food-grade soybeans.”
Building Buyer Confidence
Currently, none of the Japanese delegates have sourced food-grade soybeans from Manitoba, buying instead from Ontario where varieties of food-grade soybeans offer a higher protein content desirable for tofu production. However, one of the tour’s key take-home messages for delegates was that new varieties of food-grade soybeans with higher protein levels are now being grown in Manitoba, providing a new source for the Japanese buyers.
Gallego explains that the Manitoba tour day also offered a valuable opportunity to showcase what Manitoba brings to the table, including a strong logistics network, new food-grade soybean varieties, increasing processing capacity and rigorous quality assurance standards.
The first stop in Manitoba was a visit to the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), home of the Soy Quality Program testing and analysis laboratory. The facility tour provided the Japanese delegation with an in-depth understanding of Canada’s rigorous soybean grading and variety quality testing protocols.
Ning Wang, research scientist and program manager for pulse research crops and the Soy Quality Program technical lead, toured the group through the world-class Winnipeg facility. The group observed a grain grading demonstration that explained grading procedures and factors outlined in the CGC Grain Grading Guide. Gallego explains this information gave Japanese buyers a deeper understanding and greater confidence in Canada’s grading standards and overall system.
A highlight for the delegation was the tour of the CGC tofu testing lab. The purpose of the tofu testing lab tour was to compare analysis methods between the two countries because aligning CGC’s Soy Quality Program testing methods with those of the Japan Tofu Association requirements could boost Japanese buyers’ confidence in purchasing Canadian food-grade soybeans.
“We want to work with our customers to ensure our processes and systems align with what they are looking for and find ways where we can add more value to Canadian soybeans,” says Gallego. Explaining that, while Canadian testing standards are already very close to Japanese standards, the process of matching the tofu testing methods will provide Japanese buyers with more confidence in how particular soybean varieties will perform in tofu production and even save them time and money conducting additional quality tests after Canadian soybean exports arrive on their shores.
As a result of the productive discussion, Canada’s soybean industry has committed to upgrading testing equipment and standards within the CGC tofu testing lab to meeting Japanese standards. Gallego notes the goal is to complete this value-enhancing opportunity by the end of 2026.
“Through this visit to Canada, the delegation gained a clear understanding that initiatives such as FSA certification, CIPRS-based IP traceability, AI-powered sorting, and automated logistics form an essential foundation supporting the consistent quality and cost competitiveness that define Canadian soybeans,” says Kentaro Doi, secretary general, Japan Tofu Makers Association.
Growing Global Potential
Experiencing Manitoba’s expansive landscape firsthand, particularly through an on-farm visit, was another highpoint for the Japanese visitors. Delegates travelled approximately 40 km south of Winnipeg to visit a local soybean field and tour an on-farm processing facility that specializes in food-grade IP soybeans.
The on-farm visit was also an opportunity to showcase Winnipeg as a key logistics point for the transportation of soybeans from Manitoba fields to international customers. Participants were impressed to learn how much provincial storage and shipping capacity has expanded in the past 20 years, positioning Manitoba as a reliable and valuable source of quality food-grade soybeans.
Doi specifically noted his optimism for promising new IP varieties offering strong soybean cyst nematode resistance and great potential for tofu production.
“There’s tremendous potential in the new food-grade soy varieties Manitoba farmers are growing,” says Gallego. “Delegates recognized this, especially during our farm tour where they could see the actual varieties in the field, and I believe this exposure will help Manitoba growers tap into new, long-term export opportunities.”
Next Steps
The opportunity to witness Canadian soybean production and key elements of the value chain up close provided the delegation with new insights into how Canada’s commitment to quality, innovation and reliability can support the specific needs of the Japanese tofu market.
“The team also observed the natural advantages of Canada – from the vast landscapes of Winnipeg to the fertile farmlands of Ontario – as well as the optimization of harvest timing and transportation systems,” says Doi.
As the visit concluded, it was clear the Japanese delegation left with more than just a deeper understanding of Canadian soybeans – they left with confidence in Manitoba’s potential as a trusted supplier.
Soy Canada and the CGC will continue working closely with the Japan Tofu Association to align Soy Quality Program testing protocols, expand market access and support the development of soybean varieties that meet the specific needs of Japan’s discerning tofu industry.
Soy Canada Update: What the U.S. Trade Shift Means for Us
BY: Brian Innes, Executive Director, Soy Canada
Standing in the farmyard and looking out over the horizon gives us a reassuring impression of stability. But looking at our phone, listening to the news or following the markets reminds us that we’re living in a time of trade upheaval.
For grain farmers, especially those growing soybeans, we’re seeing profound shifts in trade stability. More than 90 per cent of Manitoba soybeans are exported, and that means trade rules, and what our international customers expect is profoundly important for how much our soybeans are worth.
While we’re all familiar with the Trump administration’s new approach to trade, the implications for exporting Canadian soybeans and what we’re hearing from customers and their governments may not be as clear from our North American news.
The new United States approach has changed the way every country trades with the U.S. and how the U.S. engages with the world, but it hasn’t affected how our customers and their governments see the importance of predictable rules-based trade between the rest of the world.
In our work, I’ve seen the reverberations from the U.S. shift when speaking to Indonesian customers pressured into signing Memorandums of Understanding to increase U.S. soybean purchases. I’ve seen U.S. pressure also result in favourable treatment for U.S. soybean exports to the European Union.
At the same time, both our Indonesian and European customers are looking to Canada for a trusted and reliable supply of soybeans. Our governments remain interested in rules-based trade between each other, even if how every government relates to the U.S. has changed.
In our role at Soy Canada, connecting our value chain and our customers, we see that the shift we’re living through means that Canada has a greater role to play in promoting rules-based trade and a greater need to be active in telling our own story to customers.
With U.S. leadership to promote rules-based trade now absent or tarnished, we now need to double down with our other trading partners to prevent tariffs or non-tariff barriers from creating risk and lowering the value our farmers see for their soybeans.
For our customers, who depend on imported soybeans for their livelihood, it’s more important than ever to share what it means to purchase Canadian.
Telling our story to our customers and their governments in this time of trade upheaval, with Manitoba Pulse & Soybean leaders around the table, has never been more important for the value we get from our soybeans.