During the month of September, there were a number of forest fires burning across Oregon. These fires, some of which are still not yet 100% caused considerable damage in terms of burnt forest and land (nearly 1 million acres), destroyed homes, and human fatalities. Although Portland was not touched by the wildfires, it did receive an extraordinary amount of smoke [...]
Recently, Hokusei North America (HNA) undertook an interesting export project, a first for the company. Based on request from the U.S. Military, and working with its sister company Hokusei Trading Asia, HNA shipped a number of mailboxes from the U.S. to Okinawa, Japan. Made of brass, the mailboxes have a traditional American design, which is certain to fit right [...]
On August 16, the Toyama Shimbun newspaper in Toyama Prefecture (Oregon's sister state) published an article lauding Hokusei North America's efforts to work with the Portland Japanese Garden to promote peace through the display of "Ori-tsuru"-themed products. An Ori-tsuru is an origami (folded paper art) version of a crane, which in Japanese culture is a symbol of good fortune and [...]
Given our growing relationship with Oregon Fruit Products (OFP), and ongoing exports to Japan of OFP's fruit purees for brewing, Hokusei North America is continuously looking for opportunities in the alcoholic beverage market. One growth area in the United States that it generating great excitement and having a huge impact on the marketplace is the hard seltzer category. A relatively [...]
Hokusei North America's parent company, Hokusei Products, recently placed a highly-innovative private bond in Japan. As part of the bond arrangement, Fukui Bank is the underwriter, and will donate a portion of its underwriting commissions to organizations committed promoting Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. Relatively unknown in the U.S., SDGs have been established by the United Nations to serve as "blueprints [...]
During the month of July, the Portland Japanese Garden attracted the attention of multiple newspapers in Japan. Both the Toyama Shinbun and the Hokkoku Shinbun printed articles about the Portland organization's efforts to promote culture, art, and crafts from Japan's most northern island, Hokkaido. Of particular focus was the Portland Japanese Garden's exhibition of items related to the Ainu [...]
As shared in an earlier post, Hokusei is stepping up its relationship with Oregon Fruit Products (OFP) to provide more aseptic fruit purees for craft breweries in Japan. As a sign of this enhanced relationship, and in response to Japanese brewer demand, a major shipment of OFP's purees were shipped out to Japan earlier this month. The purees are destined for [...]
An interesting outcome of the coronavirus pandemic has been continued strong demand for craft beer in the U.S. Although many breweries have faced the challenge of adjusting their business models, the overall beer market has been quite steady, with falling on-premise (bars, restaurants, taprooms, etc.) beer sales being replaced by off-premise (e.g., supermarkets, convenience store, direct to consumer) beer consumption. [...]
On June 19, based on approval from the Oregon state government, the city of Portland and neighboring cities in Multnomah County were able to move into Phase 1 re-opening in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The move into Phase 1 will impact a number of different impacts on social gatherings and business. Restaurants, bars, pubs, etc. will be able to [...]
This week, there was a bit of bright news among the COVID-19 developments -- for the first time in almost 3 months, the Portland Japanese Garden re-opened to the public. The garden will be following a number of health guidelines to ensure visitors' health & safety, including one-way paths, timed ticketing/visits, and required use of masks. On-line reservations are required [...]