21 Century

Jiwon Seo, Director

Restaurants offering Japanese cuisine in Canada require authentic Asian ingredients to maintain consistency in quality and taste. They rely on the food distribution industry for the necessary produce to ensure authenticity and 21 Century is the best among them, catering to their demands through imports for over 15 years.

21 Century focuses on supplying fresh and frozen seafood like high-quality bluefin, yellowfin and bigeye tuna and swordfish. It also provides meat, produce and packaged food items like ready-to-cook superior-quality oyster products for dishes like Oyster Rockefeller to Japanese vendors and restaurant franchises throughout Canada, including but not limited to Calgary, Kelowna, Nanaimo and Winnipeg. Since quality is of utmost importance to its Japanese client restaurants, 21 Century directly sources from overseas vendors in China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Indonesia and other places globally to supply the best produce to them.

Sourcing from Asia and the broader world has an added economic advantage. The food distribution industry is hypercompetitive, and having a pricing edge over the competition is critical. Getting the best ingredients possible and supplying them at a cheaper rate is the key to success and 21 Century outshines them all in this domain.

“The 21 Century brand carries with it a reputation which is enough to guarantee the quality and fair pricing of our products to our clients,” says Jiwon Seo, director at 21 Century.

21 Century also works to overcome the challenges in the food distribution industry. Economic stagnation and increased labor costs have affected the affordability of everything down the line. 21 Century advocates for precooked items to be used by restaurants and vendors that require minimal effort by the chef before being served, reducing labor and associated costs.

It isn’t just all talk and actually practices what it preaches. 21 Century has broken its own shell and brought with it the coastal Korean BBQ restaurant experience of Makchang Dodook in Canada, with branches in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. The restaurant serves its signature pork intestine dish, makchang, among other offerings, backed by fresh produce from the 21st Century.

The other challenge the industry faces is a high employee turnover rate, but 21 Century retains its skilled workforce by incentivizing continued commitment from its workers through housing support and other perks. Their skills form the force behind innovation, which creates new product ideas that are necessary for business expansion.

Climate change is another challenge that impacts the industry. Erratic weather conditions cause harvest loss, which reduces product availability. Adverse conditions globally have also dented the shipping industry, causing delays in ocean freight movement. 21 Century has addressed the challenge by increasing its inventory, giving the company more breathing room while being vigilant about the price changes to make the best out of any opportunity to fill the inventory and be ready to cater to client needs.

Clients recognize the effort and work put in by 21 Century to serve their needs, which creates brand loyalty. A client who has been with the company for over seven years exemplifies the bond it builds with them. Their bids can be five times greater than the competition to procure produce from 21 Century. It has maintained this trust by ensuring timely deliveries of fresh produce and ingredients since it started the business. This consistent service is due to the efforts of the staff it employs, who are ready to meet client demands 24/7.

The dedicated 21 Century staff is the key to standing tall among its peers. The company has operated in the cutthroat environment of serving Japanese restaurants in Canada for over 15 years and thrived to grow 20 to 30 times in that time frame. This is a testament to the dedication of the staff to their work. Standing atop this foundation, 21 Century has successfully faced industry challenges and is fearless in facing hurdles or new business avenues in the future.