What comes to mind when you’re asked to reflect on gastronomy? Is it the French or is it maybe the Japanese cuisine? Is it a creative recipe by an inspired and playful chef or is it just feta cheese, olives and yoghurt?
That’s exactly what Thanasis Fragkis would call the secret to his business venture’s perennial success in faraway Mikoto of Japan. Fragkis is the biggest importer of Greek food products and wine in the country of the rising sun, placing them as exquisitely special in the gourmet market. Of course, they are all in great demand.
Thanasis Fragkis established his business company nostimia.com in 2001, importing 80% of Greek labelled products distributed in Japanese supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and also via the web. Nostimia.com is based at the city of Mikoto, at a 130 km distance from Fukusima. Starting out from Kymi of Evia, Thanasis Fragkis travelled to the UK, where he met his Japanese wife and later on both parts decided to reside in her private homeland.
According to Fragkis, his import company is posting annual revenue growth of 20%, without the support of any Greek public organization. “We do business on our own with no help coming from Greece. No serious effort has ever been made by the Greek part neither to promote nor advertise our business company”, he complains.
However, Thanasis Fragkis regularly attends every trade event promoting Greek food and products around the world, for instance FOODEX, the biggest international food and beverage exhibition in the Pacific.
Speaking in an interview about the difference between Greek and Japanese cuisine, Mr Fraggis had stated: “Greek cuisine is generally somewhat different, so it is difficult to integrate it and make it Japanese. It has entered the lives of the Japanese, but in its entirety, as purely Greek. The Japanese have the following, which suits us. They don’t hesitate to try something new, unlike, say, the English and the Greeks. That is where our success lies.”
According to him, the two cuisines are not particularly different. “It depends on which cuisine we are talking about,” he clarifies. If we go to the cuisine of Northern Greece which is predominantly sauces, meats and so on, I would say yes they are different, but our island cuisine is similar to theirs. The Japanese play a lot with the flavors of the ingredients. That is, they use seasonal produce and they generally like subtle flavors, like the aroma that the vegetable brings out in season. They don’t use too many seasonings. Also, there are a bunch of different cuisines here – mostly Asian – that have kind of been incorporated into Japanese, as they’re more similar.”
He may now live permanently in Japan, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t visit Greece often, conditions permitting, of course. The last time he came here was in May on business. What he misses from home are the moments of Greece, as he told me, e.g. enjoying an ouzo on the beach, as well as going to church, as he is a cantor and they don’t have Greek Orthodox churches there. “I miss things like that. Our lives and our memories are moments,” he says.
As for whether he is thinking of returning permanently to our country, it is something he does not know, as he notes, “it is not easy to make such a decision, because I am not alone. If I were alone, I might already be in Greece. Now that I’ve grown up, I want to spend more time in Greece”.
