On Wednesday, Oct 20, Hokusei North America and its parent company Hokusei Products, hosted an online seminar aimed at Japanese craft beer brewers.  The objectives of the event, which was attended by nearly 50 people, was to share the latest beer trends in Portland / Oregon, as well as provide details about Oregon Fruit Products’ purees.

The virtual event was kicked of by Alex Blamberg, the Director, Agricultural Trade Office at the U.S. Consulate in Osaka, Japan.  Mr. Blamberg outlined the importance of the U.S.-Japan trading relationship, and that due to cooperation between the two countries, many tariffs and trade barriers have been reduced over the years.

Red Gillen shared information about the latest development in Portland’s and Oregon’s beer scene, including many of those that resulted from the COVID pandemic and breweries’ subsequent business “pivots”.  Red also explained which beer styles enjoy the most popularity.

Oregon Fruit Products (OFP), a Hokusei business partner, was represented by Chris Hodge, OFP’s Director of Sales.  Chris explained about his company’s background, and the various products it offers.  Chris also went into quite some detail about how to best use puree in beer-making processes.

At the end of the seminar, a number of questions were asked by various Japanese brewers, as well as a soft drink manufacturer.