In March, thousands of cherry trees burst into huge bouquets of pink and white across Portland. It is one of the prettiest times to be in Portland, as the cherry trees are often joined by other flowering trees such as magnolias and plums to brighten up the city after a dark, cloudy winter. One of the best-known spots to [...]
On Feb 23, 2022, Hokusei North America staff participated in a food & beverage B2B networking session hosted by Prosper Portland, the City of Portland's economic and urban development agency. The on-line event was organized as a way for mainly Oregon- and Japan-based food manufacturers/producers to introduce their products to a variety of supermarket buyers, marketers, and importers. The event [...]
Earlier this month, Hokusei North America sent its most recent shipment of fruit puree to Japan, destined for Japanese breweries making fruited beers. The puree was made by Hokusei's key business partner, Oregon Fruit Products, based in Salem, Ore. The puree shipment was the largest to date, and included 14 different puree flavors. This time, the top puree flavor shipped [...]
Once again, it's February, and that of course means it's time for Valentine's Day. In addition to giving flowers and chocolates, Portlanders have a unique way of celebrating the season of love. Most years, Portland's own Pink Martini musical group holds its "A Pink Martini Valentine" event. This year, Pink Martini will offer a special team up with the Oregon [...]
As part of its marketing efforts to promote sales of Oregon Fruit Products' fruit purees in Japan, Hokusei North America and its parent company in Japan (Hokusei Products) will host a webinar on January 27 (Pacific Time), to showcase purees use in craft beer. The hourlong, on-line event is expected to be attended by over 50 Japanese brewers, and [...]
2021 was another tumultuous year, with some serious ups and downs -- many are happy that we're now into 2022, and that better days are on the near horizon. In the Eastern/Chinese zodiac, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. In this zodiac, the tiger is known for being ambitious, daring, enthusiastic, self-confident, in pursuit of justice, and interested in [...]
2021 is drawing to a close, and as the Hokusei North America staff prepares to slow down for the Holiday Season, we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the people, companies, government agencies, and vendors that we have worked with over the past year. We sincerely enjoy time spent, and communication with, all those who help [...]
After a much subdued Christmas season in 2020, Christmas-related activities in Portland are mostly back this year. Here are some of the Christmas-related event and sights in our town that we recommend to visitors and local residents alike: The Pioneer Square Christmas Tree (it's huge!) Brewlights: An adult-only event to enjoy the thousands and thousands of lights at the Oregon [...]
Reflecting its growing relationship with Oregon Fruit Products, Hokusei North America recently sent another major shipment of fruit puree to Japan. As was the case in September, this puree is destined for use by Japanese craft beer brewers, to be used to make fruited beers. Over the last few years, fruited beers (beer using some kind of fruit as an [...]
With the goal of strengthening the Oregon-Toyama sister state relationship, Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Toyama Governor Hachiro Nitta held a video conference call on November 4, 2021. During the meeting the governors discussed a number of bilateral points of interest and focus, including the promotion of educational exchange programs between the two regions. During the same video conference, Governor [...]