Wagaki

In the Tona district of Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture — a fishing town adjacent to Matsushima Bay, one of Japan's three great views — Wagaki Co., Ltd. aims to be a shipping base for Miyagi oysters. The company was founded in 2011 with oyster producers at its core, to handle seed oysters, shell-on oysters, and brand oysters all together.

Representative director Mr. Toshimi Abe was born in Higashimatsushima into a family of oyster fishermen. After working at a drug store, he succeeded the family business as a third-generation oyster fisherman. In the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, he suffered severe damage including the loss of his home and boat — but pushed by voices saying "we want to be delighted by your oysters again," he began searching for a new form of oyster business.

During a post-disaster visit to France — an oyster-farming pioneer — he was struck by companies that integrate production, shipping, and restaurant operations, and by the system where shell-on oysters are distributed as a matter of course. Fishermen ship oysters in their shells, and restaurants and consumers enjoy fresh oysters by the shortest route — taking that model as a hint, he resolved to create "a new form of shipping centered on shell-on oysters" in Japan too.

In December 2011, he founded Wagaki Co., Ltd. with like-minded comrades. In 2013, the shipping factory was completed, and full-scale shipping operations began. With partner producers across multiple Miyagi regions, the company built a system that selects the harbor in the best condition at any given time to harvest from — simultaneously achieving safety, stable supply, and quality maintenance.

Today, Wagaki works on building "coexist-and-co-prosper" relationships through Miyagi oysters — with consumer gift / mail-order operations, restaurant wholesale, and seed-oyster production and sales as its core pillars. Through region tours, fishery visits, and online events, the company continues to connect producer passion and ocean bounty to dining tables and restaurant scenes nationwide.

An integrated system as a shipping base for Miyagi oysters

Based in Higashimatsushima and partnered with the main oyster regions in Miyagi Prefecture, Wagaki is a shipping base handling seed oysters, shell-on oysters, shucked oysters, and brand oysters together. Assessing quality from a producer's perspective, the company delivers widely — from general customers and restaurants to oyster producers nationwide.

Stable supply of "the best oyster" through partnerships with multiple harbors

By having partner producers across multiple Miyagi regions — Ogatsu, Onagawa, Mangokuura, Watanoha, Oshika Peninsula, Higashimatsushima, and Matsushima — the company harvests from "the harbor with the most delicious oysters today" while monitoring daily conditions. Year-round supply including raw-eating grade, balanced with stable quality, has earned support from oyster bars and oyster shacks.

Diverse lineup from consumer gifts to restaurant wholesale

From winter through summer, gift sets combining shell-on and shucked oysters, and value home sets, are shipped nationwide. For restaurants, the company handles shell-on and shucked oysters as well as scallops, sea pineapple, mussels, and whelk — with site-friendly services including free POS materials, hygiene inspection results, and shipping information distribution.

Seed oyster production and the challenge of a world-class "oyster business"

Leveraging Higashimatsushima's strength as one of Japan's leading seed-oyster regions, the company also focuses on seed-oyster production and shipping. After the disaster, the team studied farming methods in France and other countries to bring new distribution models to the Japanese oyster industry — through shell-on oyster distribution, region tours, and online events, communicating the value of oysters from multiple angles.