October 11, 2022
NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Naomi Oshiro
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Wakoen exhibit planned for Fi North America 2022
Premiere Japanese tea manufacturer proudly returns to the U.S. for event focusing on food and beverage innovation
LAS VEGAS (OCT. 11, 2022) — Wakoen, one of Japan's most prominent tea manufacturers, is pleased to announce they will showcase their products at Fi North America 2022 in Las Vegas in November.
During their first exposition in the U.S. since before the pandemic, Wakoen will be available at booth 1422 on Nov. 2 and 3.
The event brings together some of the top food manufacturers in the world to share eye-opening looks at the latest food innovations on the market.
This year's event will focus on sustainable farming practices from local sources, something Wakoen is also noted for.
“Wakoen manufactures and sells tea which is grown in our own tea farm in Shibushi city, Japan, where a lot of tea farmers live," said Takashi Horiguchi, Wakoen vice president.
Using state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities combining Smart Agriculture with IPM Farming techniques, Wakoen grows, processes and packages their tea with maximum environmental consideration. In addition to that high quality, it is also 100 percent natural, he said local producers are very proud of.
“Wakoen is working with local tea farmers to sustainably produce tea, which is one of Japanese traditional cultures, and pass it down to the next generation," Horiguchi said. "In order to sustainably produce tea, we must also consider the environment.”
That insistence on sustainable practices has been a long-standing tradition within Wakoen.
“We have been working on making tea without relying on chemical pesticides for decades. We have been using in-house developed pest control, using natural materials, such as 'wind and water' and 'rice bran,'" Horiguchi said. "We are also making efforts to compost tea leaves which can’t be sold and reuse them to grow new leaves.”
Ideally, he said tea would be produced naturally, and Wakoen actively attempts to live up to that ideal.
“Our ideal tea plantation is a "forest of tea gardens,” Horiguchi said. “We would like to deliver to everyone tea leaves harvested from tea fields in an environment that is as close to nature as possible.”
But as local farmers struggle, he said it is becoming more challenging to continue to grow while keeping that focus on sustainability.
“Japanese tea farmers have many issues, such as an aging population and lack of successors, and more and more farmers stop producing tea, unfortunately,” Horighchi said.
But they focus on the company legacy anyway, and as the company continues to grow, their focus on locals and families remains a part of the company culture.
During Fi North America 2022, Wakoen will showcase their products, while highlighting two of their most popular goods, small batch Yūki Matcha and Houjicha Powder.
Their Yūki Matcha is Certified Organic and ceremonial grade. Wakoen’s popular Houjicha Powder is well-known as a base for hot or iced tea and Houjicha lattes.
Wakoen's beginnings date back to 1948 when Hitoshi Horiguchi established it on just one and a half hectares. The company established its first factory in 1975 and added more farms to make 10 hectares. The company has grown rapidly since then.
They are proud to have maintained their family-owned culture, with all owners being members of the Horiguchi family. Today, the company is operated by Hitoshi's son Yasuhisa and grandchild Daisuke Horiguchi.
The company is one of the largest green tea manufacturers in Japan and the family-owned green tea factory in the country. In Kagoshima prefecture, on the Osumi peninsula, they are located in one of Japan's two leading tea-growing regions producing 76 percent of all green tea made in Japan. They aim to reduce their carbon footprint by growing, processing, and packaging their tea.
Food ingredients North America, SupplySide West, is the most significant event in the U.S. focused on food, beverage, and supplement innovation, bringing together more than 16,000 professionals from the health and nutrition industry.
In 2022 over 1,000 exhibitors are slated to attend and present alongside well-curated educational content and conference programming.
"Please stop by our booth and hear about our tea plantation efforts,” Horiguchi said. “And please taste the tea made at our own tea garden.”
For more information about Fi North America 2022, visit figlobal.com.
For more information about Wakoen, visit wakoentea.com.
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