TOKYO — Bob’s Red Mill Natural Food, a certified organic grain products producer, exports to China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam — but not Japan.
“I want to be in Japan,” company vice president of international sales Jan Chernus said.
To study how she could access the market here, Chernus was among nine agribusiness and Oregon Department of Agriculture participants in a 35-person state trade mission to Asia led by Gov. Kate Brown.
The tour includes visits to Tokyo (Oct. 11-15), Beijing (Oct. 15-17) and Hanoi (Oct. 17-21).
Chernus said when markets are tough, she tends to focus on those that allow easier access.
“The regulations in Japan are pretty tight on packaged foods,” she said. Bob’s Red Mill is in Milwaukie, Ore.
ODA market access and certification programs director Lindsay Benson said governor-led trade missions provide a lot more media coverage, market access and leverage with officials.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to ship to the countries the mission is visiting, Benson said.
“The importers and governments have high standards,” she said.
Bryan Ostlund, representing Oregon’s grass seed, Christmas tree and blueberry industries, said mission participants can meet people with whom it is ordinarily difficult to have talks, such as the Vietnam minister of agriculture.
Ostlund said some major retailers such as Ikea Japan would like to buy more Christmas trees from Oregon.
“By coming here, we can get a better understanding of pest issues and requirements,” he said.
Markets here do need what Oregon producers have to offer. China, in particular, requires a lot of grass seed, Ostlund said.
“China feeds grass to carp, pork and chicken,” he said.
Hillsboro’s Oregon Berry Packing has exported fresh blueberries and strawberries here since 1995, and frozen berries since 1998, with Häagen-Dazs Japan its biggest customer.
“Without Japan, I don’t think we would be packing strawberries,” company president Jeff Malensky said.
Oregon Berry Packing has managed limited sales to China. Since the country already grows blueberries, a market for the berry already exists, Malensky said.
“I’m going there to find out more about that market,” he said.
As for Vietnam, U.S. exporters cannot presently ship fresh blueberries there, Malensky said.
“It’s an introductory trip,” he said.
Oregon Wine Board past president Bill Sweat operates Winderlea vineyard and winery in Dundee with his wife, producing 7,500 cases a year.
The couple wants to export here, so Sweat came only for the Japan leg of the trip.
“I have meetings Wednesday and Thursday with three importers,” he said.
DePaul Industries’ food and packaging division presently does not ship to Japan and Vietnam.
But the Portland company has a couple of potential customers in Vietnam, president and CEO Travis Pearson said.
“I would like to talk to them, and (U.S.) embassy and (Vietnam) government officials, to understand what it would be like to export to Vietnam,” Pearson said.